The Teacher
by RMoors
Summary: It's 1986 and through a series of lies Remus has got himself a job as a teacher at his local primary school. Unbeknownst to him, this happens to be the school that a young and isolated Harry Potter attends with his thuggish cousin, Dudley. Can Remus and Harry save each other from loneliness or will the fragile world Remus has built for himself come tumbling down?
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** _Hello readership, thanks for giving this a go. This is sort of a teaser chapter just to test the water a bit, so please do let me know what you think; your input is massively important to me. This is an AU story for obvious reasons. Also, Sirius may pop up at some point but this won't be slash just to warn you. JK owns all, including me. Hope you enjoy it!_

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><p>The joints in Remus' knees creaked as he forced himself up the next staircase, leaning heavily on the handrail that was on the verge of coming out of the wall. <em>One more flight, <em>he told himself, gritting his teeth. It was getting worse, he was certain. Every month he did this walk and every time it was worse.

First there was the painful shock of consciousness, followed by ten minutes of desperately willing his tired body to get up off the frigid concrete and put some clothes on. Once that was done, he'd stumble out into the seemingly blinding light of the dull, grey morning, locking the metal door behind him. He'd discovered the disused concrete building when he'd first moved into the area and it had proved invaluable. It was set a little way from the reclaimed council estate he lived on and used to be where the generator, circuit boards and other stuff with lots of wires (he didn't claim to be an expert on what exactly these were) were kept and was consequently covered in bright yellow stickers warning people to keep out. The generator was long gone now though, so with a few added wards the place was safe to transform in without danger of escape, discovery or electrocution.

After sneaking out, he'd then walk past the young lads who sat on the low wall outside the estate smoking and throwing dark looks at him before he reached the graffiti covered stairwell. Then there were the flights upon flights of increasingly insurmountable stairs and then finally, _finally_ the comparative heaven that was Remus' flat.

It was a one-bedroom affair with a small dingy kitchen, a living room furnished with previous tenants unwanted furniture and a lightly moulding bathroom. Remus called it minimalist when he was feeling generous; a shit hole when he wasn't. But it was home and that was what really mattered. It was somewhere to sleep and eat and that's all he really needed.

He'd been living in the muggle world for a while. It was better than the constant pitying glances or the suspicious looks when he missed yet another day of work. Here, he was nobody, just that shabby looking bloke who lives at number 115. He liked it that way.

But there was no escaping the fact that he was impoverished. He'd gotten jobs, he'd lost jobs, same as always but this had been a long period of unemployment even by his fairly low standards. Qualifications, that was the problem. He had a rather impressive set of them but unfortunately none that could be applied in the muggle world, so consequently it was dead end jobs or nothing. It was infinitely frustrating. Day in, day out, he would wake up at 7.30, go to some unrewarding , unstimulating ball ache of a job and spend the next eight hours stacking shelves, or assembling parts, or flipping burgers in some undignified uniform that would have had James cackling in delight. He was _bored. _And worse than that, he had no one to share that boredom with.

Which was why, when his grandmother, a muggle, suggested he did something with himself and become a teacher or something (she'd also suggested fireman, doctor, lawyer, priest and astronaut. Privately, Remus thought she just wanted him to stop coming to her house, eating all her chocolate and complaining about work. He couldn't really blame her. He bored himself), he leapt at the idea. He was good with children, patient and knew the basics. It was a job that carried a reward beyond money. It was a new start.

So he lied. He applied for a job and he lied. According to his application he had: nine O levels; seven at A, two at B; Three A levels; all at an A grade; a second-class degree from the University of Bristol in history and had also achieved Qualified Teacher Status. It was all absolute bollocks and he loved it. It sparked a feeling of gnawing excitement deep inside him that he hadn't felt since he, Sirius, James and Peter had been causing mayhem in Hogwarts. Of course, it required forgeries of many documents, all of which was not only hugely illegal but also completely immoral and, if he were caught, would lead to prison and accusations far worse than 'werewolf'.

But he wouldn't be caught because he was _good_ at that sort of thing. It shamed him to say it, and he in no way meant it as a boast, but he was a _brilliant_ liar. He could lie for England. Sirius… no_, Black, _he reminded himself… had told him it was the lethal combination of his soft Yorkishire accent and his ability to look earnest whilst telling the most barefaced of lies. It had gotten them out of trouble on countless occasions, solely because the teachers seemed to find it inconceivable that Remus Lupin, Gryffindor prefect, would lie to them. And it was for that reason that Remus knew he could and would get away with it. So he forged his documents and applied for a job.

He'd gotten to the interview stage much to his delight and fared well, fabricating his "wonderful" experiences as a teacher's assistant but speaking quite honestly about his desire to teach and do something truly valuable. He couldn't say if it had done well enough to get him the job however. Now it was just a waiting game.

It wasn't until he dragged himself through his front door that fateful morning that he saw the reply. There, lying innocuously on the doormat, was his future. With slightly trembling hands he picked the letter up and limped to the sagging sofa, collapsing onto it with an audible sigh of relief. He turned the envelope over a few times in his hands, chewing his lower lip before he took a deep breath and picked the envelope open.

As with all long awaited letters, he didn't read it properly, just scanned it, searching desperately for the words that would make or break him.

_Mr Lupin… Thank you… application… St. Grogory's Primary…much consideration… many candidates… competitive… uniquely qualified… we are pleased… _

YES. There it was.

_We are pleased._

Merlin, what beautiful words. He read it properly then, savouring each word, unable to keep the grin off his face. Finally, something to make it all worth it. It wasn't friends, it wasn't family but it _was_ opportunity and Remus was done waiting.

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><p><em><strong>AN:<strong> Quick note regarding Remus' made up qualifications: O levels are what preceded GCSEs in the UK. They're pretty much the same thing- just think OWLS. They're what Remus would have taken had he gone to a muggle secondary school at the time. Historical accuracy, yo._


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks for the reviews/favourites/alerts! It's great knowing that people are reading and enjoying. Another short one I'm afraid. I'm in the middle of exam season so don't have much time to write so yeah, it's short chapters or nothing at all. As in my other story, To Possess, I'm including a ****previously section because if you, like me, have an obscene amount of stories on your alert list, it gets a bit tricky keeping track of what's happened. I think that's about it for housekeeping, thanks again for reading.**

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><p><em>Previously: Remus has been living in the muggle world for the past few years. Fed up with monotonous badly paid jobs, he forges muggle qualifications and successfully applies for a job at a primary school.<em>

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><p>Harry stared up at the cobwebs on the ceiling, tracing their thousands of interwoven strands with his eyes, fascinated by the symmetry of the spider's creation. He'd never been scared of spiders… or perhaps he had been once, but he'd grown out of it now. Either way, he wasn't scared of them, not like Dudley. He liked them really.<p>

He watched one move stealthily across its creation, hidden in the corner of his cupboard.

He thought it would be quite nice to be a spider really, being able to build a home just like that in a safe little corner somewhere.

Thundering footsteps from above sent the web shaking, dislodging the arachnid. Harry let it scuttle into his hand and returned it to its home.

Maybe not so safe then.

His door was opened with a crash and a large hand reached blindly in, grasping for Harry's arm and dragging him out.

"Bathroom, now." His uncle hissed. "School starts in thirty minutes and I will not have you making Dudley late." He shoved Harry hard towards the stairs, sending him into a brief stumble before he found his footing.

Harry hated this day. He was in year two now so he knew what the first day was like. Dudley would get a sloppy kiss on the cheek from Aunt Petunia and hair ruffle from Uncle Vernon, while Harry would get a glare and a stern warning against any 'funny business'. He never knew what that meant. Then he'd sit down and no one on his table would talk to him because Dudley would hit anyone who did. So he'd keep his head down and work hard on his numbers and letters, even though he found them hard and everyone else was laughing and talking around him. Last year, Miss Lyons always gave him a sticker and wrote well done on his work but she was teaching year three now and not him.

Playtime was the worst though. He wasn't allowed to sit inside, so he had to go outside where he'd spend every break and lunch hiding from Dudley and his friends who would always chase him or call him names if they saw him. So he normally just hid behind a wall and hoped he wasn't found until it was time to line up to go back inside.

Then it was more lessons until finally the day was over and Aunt Petunia would collect him and Dudley from the playground, giving Dudley another kiss and him another glare.

And that was why he hated first days at school. It always led to second days. Then third.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Remus was nervous. He kept telling himself he had nothing to fear, after all, these were six year olds, not death eaters, but anxiety was nevertheless unavoidable. He'd done his best to be prepared. He'd studied his predecessors lesson plans, ensured he was confident in his own knowledge and dressed in his best trousers and shirt, but left off a tie and a jacket; he wanted to look presentable but not formal. None of that quelled his nerves though. He'd lied about his qualifications and, under his own volition, been chucked in at the deep end. He had no idea how to teach and more pressingly, no idea how to control a room of thirty boisterous six year olds.

He glanced at the clock above the colourful display of children's drawing adorning the back wall of the classroom. Five minutes to nine. Time to collect the children. He walked outside, squaring his shoulders and trying to exude confidence as he saw the playground full of children slowly forming themselves into lines. Children could smell fear apparently. Or perhaps that was dogs.

"Year two!" He called. "Line up in front of me please."

And, much to his surprise, they did. He allowed himself a small smile. Maybe this would be okay. He noted everyone seemed to be lined up.

"Alright, if everyone could follow me, please."

And again, they did. He felt like a mother duck leading the chattering group down the school's corridors to his classroom.

He instructed them to sit on the carpet at the front of the room while he stood next to his desk.

"Good morning, I'm Mr Lupin." He said to them with a smile.

"Good morning Mr Lupin!" They chorused back.

_Merlin, this was easy._

"I'm going to take the register quickly, then we can get on with the day. Please let me know if I say your name wrong."

Blank faces stared back at him.

_Right._

"Erm… Finbar?"

"Just Fin, Sir." Said a small red haired boy. Remus nodded, noting, '_just Fin'_ on the register.

"Just Fin, it is. Sarah?"

"Here, Sir." A blonde girl with rather thick glasses said timidly.

"Dudley?" He asked, looking around expectantly.

"Yeah." Said a sullen voice from the back, belonging to a fat, pink faced blonde boy. _Keep an eye on that one, _thought Remus. He looks like bully bait. Overweight children were often teased in his experience.

"Ashraf?"

"Yes, Sir."

And so on and so forth. He wondered how long it was going to take him to put a name to every face.

He glanced down at his register again.

He blinked hard.

_Harry Potter. _

It had to be coincidence. Potter was a common enough name, of course. But Harry would be six now…

He cleared his throat.

"H-Harry?" He scanned the room looking for the name's owner.

"Here, Sir." Said a meek voice from the back of the room, so far in a corner he'd missed him all together.

He froze. Jet black messy hair, a thin face, glasses. The boy was a young James. But those eyes. Big, green and unmistakably those of Lily Evans… or Harry Potter.

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><p><strong>AN: Hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review, it's great to get feedback on what I'm writing, positive or negative. <strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Another short one, I'm afraid but exam season's nearly over so hopefully some longer updates on the way. I'm not entirely satisfied with the chapter due to some problems with writing from the perspective of a six year old. Still, hopefully you enjoy it despite my own reservations. Thanks for reading and thanks so much for the reviews/favourites/alerts. The response to this story has been amazing and really put a smile on my face. I'm pretty sure I've replied to everyone by PM, if not, I will try to get around to that as soon as I can. Anyway, without further ado...**

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><p>Previously: Remus has lied to get himself as job as a teacher at a primary school. Harry is lonely and mistreated and not particularly looking forward to his first day of school. Remus recognises Harry as he takes the register.<p>

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><p>The new teacher was looking at him very strangely. He'd been doing it all day too. Every time he thought Harry wasn't paying attention his eyes were drawn to him like magnets. It was weird and Harry didn't like it.<p>

Lots of things about this new teacher were weird. His face and hands were scarred for one, which Harry thought looked quite cool. His trousers were patched worse than Harry's own though and that was definitely not cool, Harry would know.

But he didn't pick on Harry in class, which was something he supposed. In fact, he didn't really talk to Harry at all.

"Here, Sir." He'd said during the register and the teacher had frozen. It was a look Harry had never seen before. He went _pale_, like he was ill and just stood in one place, not really moving. Harry thought it was quite rude actually. Everyone else had got a nod and a smile and he only got stared at.

Eventually Mr Lupin had cleared his throat and finished the register, going through the last names much faster and not looking up from the register until he'd finished, gaze roaming around the class but skipping over Harry.

Aunt Petunia did that when they were having dinner. She'd talk to Uncle Vernon and smile at Dudley and look at the clock behind Harry's head. Sometimes it would be a day before anyone said anything to him.

The first lesson had been alright. It was literacy and Mr Lupin had asked them all to write a story, which was good because Harry liked to write. He'd started to write about a boy that went to space and made friends with aliens. He didn't know what happened then so he stopped. Mr Lupin didn't say anything.

"Harry…" Said a voice behind him, jolting him out of his thoughts. He'd been doodling patterns absently in his margins for the last while.

"It's break. You should go outside and play."

Silently, Harry nodded, keeping his eyes to the floor. He'd hoped Mr Lupin would keep ignoring him and let him stay inside. No such luck though. He shrugged on his coat and walked to the door, pretending he couldn't feel the gaze drilling into the back of his head, preparing himself for whatever Dudley had prepared for him.

O0o0o0o0

Remus watched the boy walk away.

He couldn't do this. He couldn't teach Harry. It was them. Every time he looked at Harry he saw them and he couldn't stop himself looking.

And every time he looked, he knew with every fibre of his being that something wasn't right. His clothes were too big, he was too small. His eyes should have been lively, not dull. He should have leapt for the playground with the other children, not sat and stared determinedly at his desk.

It had made Remus talk to him. He hadn't wanted to. At all. He'd wanted to run and run and run until those accusing green eyes stopped hounding him. He'd spoken to him though, only a sentence really, and it had physically exhausted him.

Harry hadn't replied though. Just clenched his jaw slightly, put on his flimsy coat and walked outside, pausing briefly at the door.

Remus allowed his eyes to follow him. He was practiced in his movements, skirting around the edge of the playground, eyes darting nervously, staying on the periphery until he reached a bench in a secluded corner. Remus wondered what he'd do then.

Would he meet a friend? Read maybe?

He didn't do anything though. Just sat there, eyes on the playground, watching the other children play.

Yes, thought Remus, something was very, very wrong.

And also very, very not his business, as Dumbledore had told him repeatedly after Lily and James had died. He could have nothing to do with Harry because the boy needed to grow up away from magic and his past.

He could have nothing to do with Harry because it broke his heart every time he looked at the boy.

Movement in the playground caught his eye. Harry had leapt to his feet, eyes wildly staring at a point in the distance. Remus followed his eyes and saw the fat boy, Dudley he thought his name was, making his way towards Harry. Odd. Why did Harry look scared? The fat boy approached Harry's bench, a friend, Piers, loitering at his shoulders. Piers laughed at something Dudley said as Harry's eyes darted around. Looking for exits?

Out of nowhere, and with surprising speed, Harry leapt up, and darted to the side, missing Piers' grasping hands but not Dudley's. In a flash the fat boy had Harry pushed up against the bench, bending him backwards over it.

Remus was out of the door in seconds, sprinting across the playground in a rather undignified manner.

_Get off him get off him get off him_

"Dudley, let go of him!" He shouted as he approached, cold anger fuelling him.

The fat boy dropped Harry's collar in a blink.

"He started it!" he cried, "He hit me."

Remus' fists clenched.

_Just a child, Remus. He's just a child._

"He did no such thing." He hissed. He paused, allowing himself to calm down slightly. "Dudley, Piers, go and wait with Mr Bourne." He indicated the teaching assistant on playground duty that afternoon that was leaning against the wall, examining his fingernails.

"I'll deal with you in a moment."

That was a promise.

As the two boys slouched off, he looked at Harry, who had slumped back onto the bench when Dudley had released him. He still looked scared.

Remus crouched down, ignoring the pain in his knees and looked at Harry.

"Are you hurt?" He asked.

"I'm fine." Harry's voice was soft but filled with a steel Remus hadn't expected.

He frowned slightly.

"Harry, has this happened before? You can be honest with me."

"No. That was the first time. I'm fine." He repeated, getting to his feet.

"Sorry, Sir, I need the toilet." With that, he walked across the playground and vanished inside.

The rest of the day had crawled past, rolling around to its mid-afternoon end with a late summer lethargy that Remus in his agitated state could almost not abide. He'd given Piers and Dudley what he'd hoped was the bollocking of a lifetime and sent them to the headteacher. Harry had continued to be a silent present in the back of the class, diligently keeping his head down. And the clock ticked slowly onwards.

As the bell finally rang, Remus could have cried with relief; the day from hell had finished. He would hand in his notice the next day he promised himself. He couldn't see Harry like that and do nothing as he'd sworn to Dumbledore all those years ago. For the greater good. He'd leave and that would be the best outcome for all.

But he was determined to sort out that little shit Dudley once and for all and if he knew one thing about that boy from his interactions with him, it was that he was coddled and over indulged and he knew that the way to put the fear of god into that type of child was to tell their mother.

He watched as a tall, thin woman embraced the boy and attacked.

"Mrs Dursley?" he addressed her, striding over to the family.

She looked him up and down, eyebrows raised.

"Yes."

"I'd like to talk to you about an incident today in the playground."

Dudley fidgeted anxiously, pulling his mother's hand.

"Mum, let's go."

"One minute Duddiekins."

Oh, he was going to be sick.

Her eyes flicked back to him

"What happened then? Was Dudley hurt? Were you hurt Dudley?" she cupped the boys pudgy cheeks, looking for injury.

"No, he wasn't. He hurt someone actually. He pushed a boy against a bench, completely unprovoked and I have a suspicion that this wouldn't be the first time."

Mrs Dursley looked startled.

"Well, I'm sure they were just playing." She grabbed Dudley's hand, dismissing him in a movement. "Come along Dudley, I have dinner waiting at home. Pork chops, your favourite."

Remus stood there gaping as she towed the smirking boy across the playground.

She paused, looking around like she'd forgotten something.

"Harry!"

And from a small distance away, standing previously unnoticed, Harry stumbled after her.

_He lived with them. Oh Merlin he lived with them._

"Have you been telling horrible stories about Dudley again?" She asked as they vanished around the corner.

Something was very, very wrong.

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><p><strong>AN: Hopefully that wasn't too dire. It'd be great to hear from you all, positive or negative, all feedback is appreciated. Cheers.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: A slightly longer chapter this time as a thank you for all your kind reviews.**** Quick clarification for non-Uk readers, OFSTED are mentioned in the chapter, and they are the official body for inspecting schools and go round to schools every five years or so and give the school a rating. For teachers and schools in general, OFSTED inspections are a massive deal. Hope you enjoy it!**

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><p><em>Previously: Remus has lied his way into a job as a teacher where it turns out Harry is a student. Having witnessed an incident of Dudley bullying Harry, Remus attempted to challenge Petunia about her son when she came to pick him up from school. She wouldn't listen and in the process of speaking to her, Remus discovers that Harry is living with the Dursleys. Remus is unimpressed by this turn of events.<em>

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><p>"Remus, you're going to have to drop it."<p>

Remus sat opposite the head teacher of the school, a thin, balding man who would have been tall if he didn't stoop. His face had a light sheen of sweat that made his glasses slip down his long nose causing him to impatiently shove them back up with trembling fingers.

"No. I absolutely will not drop it."

"Look, you don't understand. Dudley… I know he isn't a kind child-"

Remus snorted.

"Hear me out Remus. He isn't a kind child, cruel even, I'll grant you that. If you want to take away his break times or his Friday afternoon free time, you have my full support, but it_…_it _cannot _go further than that." The head teacher responded in a tone that Remus assumed was meant to project authority.

Remus leant forward in his chair.

"I want him excluded David."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not excluding him. Not for this. It was a game gone wrong, a tussle between boys. If I excluded every lad for that, I wouldn't have a school left."

Remus frowned.

"It was bullying, David. I saw it and I could absolutely guarantee that that wasn't the first time something like that's happened. And you know it."

The headteacher looked down, fiddling with his hands.

"What's this really about?" Remus asked, suddenly curious. Something strange was going on with David Emmerson. The school was supposed to have a zero tolerance bullying policy. Apparently except where Dudley Dursley was involved.

Remus was not normally the type to antagonise his boss on the first day of the job but this was different. This was about Harry. Harry who was living with those _vile_ people. He knew full well there was nothing he could do about that, Dumbledore had been rather firm on the matter all those years ago. What he could do something about though was that horrible little toerag, if David Emmerson would stop protecting him.

David glanced up from his hands, fleetingly meeting Remus' eyes before looking away.

"Look, Remus… it's… well, erm…" he cleared his throat. "Our last OFSTED report wasn't… great, or even good really. We got an unsatisfactory over all. We're going through special measures, everything's under review. It's been a hard few months for us all."

"And this has what to do with Dudley, exactly?" Remus urged.

David looked intensely uncomfortable, almost cringing in his chair.

"His mother is the chair of the board of governers." He eventually mumbled.

Remus collapsed back into his chair, thoughts streaming through his mind. It all made sense. David, the utter coward, was afraid to cross the woman who had the power to remove his already tenuous position in the school. No wonder the man was a nervous wreck; the school was on the verge of shutting down and who was going to employ this shambles of a man anywhere else.

It made Remus very, very angry.

"You understand that a child is being made deeply, deeply miserable for the sake of your continued employment don't you David? Your employment where the protection of children is quite literally in the job description."

David's face hardened and for a second Remus could almost see how the man had become a headmaster in the first place.

"I don't do it for my own sake. I have my own children who depend on me to feed them and clothe them. That has to be my primary responsibility. If I lose my job…

"I hate seeing what that boy does to Harry as much as you do Remus but I can't do anything about it. Or, well, I can, but I won't. When it comes down to it, it's me and my family or Harry and I hate to say this, but the decision is easy.

"So drop it Remus. No good can come of this."

Remus looked down at the desk in front of him, tracing the gently curving pattern of the wood, willing himself over and over not to shout. His calm was his weapon and he'd use it well.

"I will take this to an authority."

"You won't. The authority is the Board of Governers. Higher than that is the council and I will swear blind you are lying. Harry'll deny everything too. You don't have a leg to stand on here Remus. Please… please just leave it."

The man was absolutely right. There was nothing Remus could do. Harry would deny the bullying, he was living with the boy for Merlin's sake and things would certainly get worse if Harry complained. But Remus would not sit idly by. He'd been doing that for years now and the time had most certainly come to do something and getting Harry away from Dudley was going to be the first step. All he needed to do was get a confession from Harry. He thought of the quiet boy that sat at the back of the classroom, who wouldn't say a sentence if a word would suffice. This was going to be hard.

oOoOo

"What did you say to them, boy?" uncle Vernon hissed in his face.

Harry had been waiting for this since he got home. He'd seen aunt Petunia telling Vernon something in hushed tones, gesturing angrily at him and he _knew, _just knew that the interrogation was inevitable.

"Nothing. I swear I didn't tell him anything."

Large hands pushed him back into the wall, not hard, but firmly enough for Harry to understand the threat.

"Good. And why didn't you tell them anything."

"Because there's nothing to tell." Harry recited, turning his head away from uncle Vernon's rancid breath.

"That's right. You'll do well to remember that. I'll not have some upstart teacher sniffing around my family because of your _lies._" He spat the last word, showering Harry's face with spittle.

_He wasn't a liar. _

"They're not lies!" he protested.

A hand slammed into the side of his head, making his ears ring.

"They are lies. And if I hear them again you won't be eating for a week."

With that, uncle Vernon grabbed him by his collar and threw him into his cupboard, locking the door behind him.

"Not another word from you unless you want to feel my belt."

Harry knew he didn't mean it. He always threatened him like that but he never followed through. That didn't stop Harry from shaking though. He'd watched his uncle go purple with rage enough times to know that one day he would snap and he didn't want to provoke that.

As he sat in his cupboard he thought about Mr Lupin, the strange new teacher who shouted at Dudley. He'd never seen a teacher that angry before and it'd had frightened him. There was something in his eyes that just screamed _dangerous_ and Harry was incredibly grateful that they hadn't been aimed at him. Instead, he'd looked at Harry with kindness and gentleness and something in Harry wanted to tell him everything.

He wouldn't though because whatever he said about that fat pig would just get him into trouble with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon and he really, really didn't want that.

oOoOoOoO

The next day at school saw Remus Lupin sitting at his desk with a fixed expression of cheerfulness. Today he was going to crack Harry, he was determined. And for that, he'd need to get him away from Dudley.

"Harry!" He called out as the children left in a rush for break. "Can I have a quick word?"

Harry nodded mutely and walked up to Remus' desk.

"Pull up a chair, Harry. Don't worry, you're not in trouble."

Harry looked slightly reassured and grabbed one of the chairs from the table, dragging it to where Remus sat.

"I just wanted to say, that if you wanted, you could stay in here for break times. If Dudley's giving you a hard time."

Harry looked briefly grateful but his expression shut down at the mention of Dudley.

"He's not giving me a hard time. It's fine." He studied the floor.

This was going to be harder than Remus thought.

"Do you live with Dudley, Harry?"

The boy glanced up, studying Remus.

"… Yes." He said after a pause. That was a step.

"But he's not your brother?"

"No, he's my cousin."

_Cousin? Good lord, he's living with Lily's sister. No wonder the poor boy's terrified._

Remus tried to smile reassuringly.

"Do you like living with him?"

"Yes." Harry answered too quickly

Remus sighed, and then offered Harry another smile.

Perhaps it was time for a new tactic.

"When I was a bit older than you, I had to stay with my cousin for the summer while my parents were away for work."

In truth it had been because his parents were scouring the globe for a way to treat his condition, but Harry didn't need to know that.

"My cousin was a girl called Mary. She was my age but about twice my size, she was _massive, _Harry. They had a pond in their garden, and every single day I would end up in it. Every single day for an entire summer, can you imagine that? Scared a good few ducks."

Harry giggled into his hand and Remus felt his heart warm.

He'd hated Mary with something of a burning passion and he could only imagine what Harry had to deal with living with a child like that all year round. That boy was going to _love _Hogwarts.

"I got my revenge though. I'd been planning it for ages. I'd plotted every single detail, bought all the supplies I'd need and gotten ready for the moment I'd strike. One night, when everyone in the house was sound asleep, I snuck into the bathroom and got her shampoo. I squeezed everything that was in the bottle down the sink."

Harry looked unimpressed.

"That's not all Harry." Remus laughed. "I replaced it with hair dye. It was green if I remember correctly. Truly, Harry, I have never seen someone so angry but getting shouted at isn't as scary when they look like the Grinch."

Harry really laughed then.

He chewed his lip, and looked like he was considering something hard. He glanced behind him quickly then back at Remus, a sparkle visible in his bright green eyes and voice a whisper.

"Once," He started conspiratorially, leaning towards Remus "I was doing the washing and I deliberately put all of Dudley's white pants in with Aunt Petunia's new red skirt and now all of his pants are pink!"

Remus laughed. James would have been proud.

Harry did the washing though? Somehow it didn't shock him.

"It's not always easy living with cousins Harry, I know that better than most. If you ever need anyone to talk to, come to me. From one prankster to another."

Harry looked contemplative for a moment.

"Okay."

_Victory._

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading, I really hope you enjoyed it. I had a reviewer for the last chapter who was wondering whether I was going to up the severity of the Dursley's abuse. I might marginally but it won't be extreme, pretty much canon typical I reckon. Reviews are wonderful, wonderful things so please leave them. Cheers, all.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Another short chapter I'm afraid but one with a fair bit of plot progression. Feedback is always appreciated and particularly with this chapter for reasons which will probably become obvious.**

**Thanks for the reviews/alerts/favourites. They legitimately put a smile on my face for the rest of the day. I haven't had the time to reply to them all but please know I'm very grateful.**

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><p><em>Previously: Remus has lied his way into a job as a teacher where it turns out Harry is a student. Having witnessed an incident of Dudley bullying Harry, Remus attempted to challenge Petunia about her son when she came to pick him up from school. She wouldn't listen and in the process of speaking to her, Remus discovers that Harry is living with the Dursleys. He reports the incident to the <em>_head teacher, David Emmerson, who does nothing because Petunia is the Head of the Board of Governors and will sack him if he kicks Dudley out. Remus speaks to Harry about his own experiences of bullying when he was a child and Harry begins to confide in him._

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><p>Remus rummaged urgently through the papers on his desk, dropping several in the process. He swore at his disorganisation as he opened the drawer, rifling through that before slamming it in frustration.<p>

_Bollocks_.

It was 3.45 on Wednesday afternoon and Remus had lost his lesson plan. He'd been teaching for two weeks and those plans were _everything; _he had no other frame of reference apart from those plans he'd laboured over for hours and hours.

Without them he could not teach because he was not a teacher. He was unqualified, inexperienced and completely unable to wing it, all of which was going to become horribly clear to everyone tomorrow.

"Looking for something?"

Remus looked up from his desperate searching to see a young woman leaning against the door with a stack of papers in her hands.

"Please tell me those are lesson plans." He pleaded, moving round his desk.

"They are indeed," She said with a grin, passing them into Remus' sweaty, trembling hands "You left them in the staff room earlier."

Remus could have kissed her.

The staff room! How had he not thought of that? He wanted to hold those papers to his chest and never let go.

"Thank you! Thank you so much. I think you may have just saved me from a rather horrible fate tomorrow."

The woman leant against the doorframe, shoving a hand in the pocket of her jacket.

"Death by lack of preparation? Well, we've all been there; I wouldn't worry about it too much. It's Remus right?"

Remus was slightly embarrassed he didn't know her name.

"Yes, that's right. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. "

"Kia." She reached out a hand with another smile. "Nice to meet you properly."

Remus transferred the lesson plans awkwardly to his other arm to shake the hand of his saviour.

"You've got year two then?" She nodded at the papers. "Sorry, had a quick flick through, couldn't resist." She clarified at Remus' slightly confused expression.

"Ah, yes. Nice bunch… broadly speaking."

"And then there's Dudley." She laughed, reading his expression. "A complete terror that one. I had that class last year and that boy! Wouldn't leave poor Harry alone. Never understood why David didn't do anything about it, the amount of times I've sent him to his office."

So _this_ was Harry's teacher from last year. Had Remus inadvertently found a potential ally?

"His mother is the head of the Board of Governors." said Remus, looking to see her reaction. He was not disappointed.

Her eyebrows shot up.

"_What_? Are you serious? _Christ, _no wonder David's terrified to do anything."

"Yes, who'd have thought it- St Grogory's: a hotbed of corruption."

She shook her head.

"Poor Harry." She looked at him intensely for a moment, weighing him up. "Can I come in? I think… well, there are some things you might want to know."

Remus gestured with a broad sweep of his arm for her to come in. There was only one normal sized chair in the room so the two took seats in the small chairs around an equally miniature table, knees sticking up comically.

Kia took a deep breath.

"Okay, so you know Harry lives with his Dudley and his aunt and uncle?"

"I do, yes." Remus responded, eager for any information regarding Harry's home life.

"Remus, that boy is not treated well there-"

"Well, yes, that's evident."

She frowned at his interjection.

"No, it's more than just Dudley bullying him. The boy is too small. I have seen many, many skinny children in my time and I know what an unnaturally little boy looks like. Compare him to Dudley. I have never seen a person so perfectly spherical. He almost rolls. How can two boys growing up in the same home be so different?"

"You think Harry's _starved_?"

Kia bit her lip, and looked thoughtful for a moment.

"…I- I don't know, Remus. Perhaps not actively starved, but hugely neglected certainly. Physically and emotionally." She sighed deeply, pushing a curl behind her ear with an instinctive motion. She raised her eyes to Remus. "He's damaged. You just have to look at him."

Remus could have cried then. How could they?

He considered himself an empathetic man. He had always understood Petunia's hatred for Lily- to her Lily was different: special and scary in equal measure. She had everything Petunia didn't and it was that as much as Lily's magic that terrified her. So Petunia began to despise her sister for inhabiting a world that she could only dream of, a world that she learned to hate. He understood that, he truly did. But to neglect Lily's child?

_Unforgivable. _

"Remus, are you okay?" Kia said, breaking into his thoughts.

He looked up from the table.

"Yes. Well, as fine as I can be I suppose." He said very quickly, leaning back in the ridiculously sized chair.

She quirked an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?"

"Not even remotely."

She reached over and touched his arm.

"Look, I know I've known you all of five minutes but you seem like the decent sort… like you really care about the kids. I've wanted to approach you about the Harry situation for a while now but I didn't know what your reaction would be."

"Did I pass the test?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Her hand was still on his arm, its weight comforting.

"I think we can do this, Remus. I think we can get the bastards."

He smiled. Privately though, he had his doubts.

OoOoOoO

Six hours later and he was drunk, sitting on his uncomfortable sofa looking at a picture of him, Sirius, Peter and the Potters. As soon as he'd gotten home he'd grabbed it, desperate to look at those untroubled faces. _Merlin, _we were all so happy, he thought as James pressed a smacking kiss to Lily's cheek.

Remus rarely drank but when he did, he did so with purpose. That day had been too much.

_Too much. _

Baby Harry waved a podgy hand out at him and Remus touched it with his finger.

He thought of the way Harry had leapt at Remus' offer of break time companionship. The boy had barely left his classroom in the past few days, sometimes telling Remus about a prank he'd played, or a dream he'd had. Other times he'd read or draw as they sat in companionable silence. Remus enjoyed it immensely. Sometimes he'd close his eyes as Harry spoke in his low excited tones and imagine that he was visiting Lily and James, and Harry knew who he really was.

Then he'd open his eyes and crash back into the world where Harry was living with people who hated him and he could do nothing about it.

Tearing his eyes away from the photograph, now bent at the edges from over handling, he looked around his flat. A mug on the table. A plate in the sink. A half empty glass of something cheap and highly alcoholic next to him.

Single, solitary, soulless.

Everything about his life was cheap, transitory and sterile.

And suddenly Remus wasn't sad anymore. He was furious. He was furious at Voldemort for killing his friends, at Sirius for betraying Lily and James, at Peter for confronting the bastard, at Dumbledore for leaving Harry with his relatives, at the Dursleys for neglecting and bullying the boy, at David Emmerson for letting it carry on but most of all- _most_ of all at himself. Oh how he hated himself. Sitting alone, pissed on unpleasant spirits, in a grotty little flat getting misty eyed over old photos while the son of his best friends was suffering.

_He'd had enough. _

He staggered to his feet grabbing his wand and clumsily stowing it in his pocket.

_Harry being slammed against a bench._

He span on the spot, disappearing with a crack and a lurching sickness, appearing a second later in the office of David Emmerson.

_Harry watching other children play._

There was a likely looking filing cabinet in the corner which Remus stumbled towards, knocking his hip on the desk on the way past. He blasted the lock, unworried with subtlety and began rifling through the files.

_Harry dwarfed in his oversized clothes_

Allen

He flicked forwards.

Colston, Creeves

A few more folders

Danes, Duke, _Dursley._

_Harry being dragged along behind Petunia_

He grabbed the file, flipping to the contact information. The writing swam into focus.

4 Privet Drive.

_He had them._

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><p><strong>AN: So, thoughts? Do you want to see any more of Kia? Is this moving too damn fast? Let me know. Cheers x<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Apologies for the slow update, life and laziness got in the way. Thank you all so much for the reviews, it's wonderful to know that people are reading and enjoying this. A special thank you to Lupinsboggart (the author of Bitten by Truth, a Lily/Remus story you should definitely check out because its an under appreciated pairing and an under appreciated story) without whom you'd probably be waiting significantly longer for an update. Hope you like this chapter. It is officially all kicking off.**

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><p><em>Previously: Remus has lied his way into a job as a teacher where it turns out Harry is a student. Remus witnesses Dudley bullying Harry and unsuccessfully tries to get him expelled, learning in the process that Harry lives with the Dursleys and that the school's head teacher is deeply corrupt. Remus speaks to Harry about his own experiences of bullying when he was a child and Harry begins to confide in him. Remus meets Harry's old teacher, Kia, who shares Remus' fears about Harry's home life and confides in him that she thinks Harry is dangerously neglected, if not abused. Remus, furious at this, gets extremely drunk, breaks into the school records and finds out where the Dursleys live.<em>

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><p>His body lurched as he appeared on the unassuming suburban street sending his stomach into an unpleasant spin. Holding in his nausea, he stumbled forward, situating himself well within the shadows but where he could see the house. The net curtains were drawn tight but he could see figures moving around behind them, lit by the flickering firelight within. It was not an image of warmth though; the shadows were long and misshapen, larger than life.<p>

He stood there for a while, watching them moving around in there as he thought through what it was exactly he was doing. He'd been furious, and Merlin, he still was but apparating had sobered him up slightly and he knew barging in there drunk and demanding Harry would do no one any good.

No, he'd get Harry out of there, but he'd talk to him first.

But he still needed to go in the house. He couldn't say why, but he _needed_ to know what was going on in there, what exactly the Dursley's were doing to Harry. Perhaps it was to justify to himself what he was doing or perhaps it was to get some proof for Dumbledore (as much as he hated to think it, if he was going to take Harry away, eventually the old wizard would have to be involved) but either way, he knew he had to see what happened in that house.

_"Vanesco." _He incanted as he neared the house, the familiar feeling of an egg cracking over his head sending shudders down his spine.

This was it. Time to see how the other half lived – even if they didn't know he was there.

He rang the doorbell.

Heavy steps and heavier breathing approached the door.

"Who the bloody hell could that be at this time?"

The door flew open, revealing a hulking figure whom Remus could only assume was Vernon Dursley. His small eyes looked straight through Remus and scanned the street angrily.

"_Kids." _He cursed quietly. "You're not clever you know!" He shouted into the street, stepping out of the door to try to spot the imagined miscreants.

Remus grasped his opportunity and with surprising grace considering his inebriation slid past Mr Dursley and into the hallway of the semi-detached house.

"Who was it Vernon?" asked a reedy voice from inside the sitting room.

"No one. Knock down ginger probably. Children these days are out of control. I say bring back caning. Bit of discipline never hurt anyone."

Mrs Dursley sniffed in agreement as Mr Dursley retreated back into the living room, easing his massive form back onto the large sofa.

Remus, treading as quietly as he could, began his ascent up the stairs. He had to find Harry's room. If he was eventually going to get Harry out of here, he'd need to know where Harry slept, so he could get him out without alerting the Dursley's. He'd talk to Harry first of course, but he wanted a good idea of how he was going to pull of his escape in advance.

He stumbled slightly on the stairs and stopped dead, listening intently for signs he'd been heard. The television continued to blare from the living room though. He was safe.

He should not have attempted this drunk.

Without further incident he reached the landing. There were four rooms that led off from it, one of which he could immediately dismiss as the toilet. It was one of the other three firmly shut doors that had to conceal Harry.

Drawing his wand, he approached the nearest one and with a wince pushed down the handle, praying that it wouldn't squeak. He breathed a sigh of relief as the door silently opened, the whisper of the wood against the thick carpet the only sound.

He peered in tentatively.

A large and empty bed, a dressing table, a ostentatiously big wardrobe, a chair with newly ironed shirts hung over the back. Mr and Mrs Dursley's room without a doubt. He beat a hasty retreat, returning to the landing and closing the door behind him with a barely audible click.

The next door then perhaps.

It was again thankfully silent and just as unforthcoming. A single bed this time with a short round figure tucked under the space-themed duvet. Glow-in-the-dark stars covered the ceiling, still shining slightly, just illuminating a desk with a computer on it, strewn with games. The carpet was equally littered with toys. It was a wonder how Dudley even got across room without treading on anything, for Dudley's room this clearly was.

The last room then. This was it.

Remus took a deep breath and opened the door.

Toys. That was all that was in there. Heaps upon heaps of toys: board games, teddy bears, action figures, even a bike.

_What? Where was Harry?_

"Boy!" Came a deafening shout from downstairs.

Remus spun around, walking quickly to the stairs, steadying himself on the banister as he peered over to see what was happening.

"Boy!" Mr Dursley screamed again as he burst out of the kitchen, tearing open the door below Remus and reaching blindly inside.

As he dragged a bleary eyed Harry out of the cupboard, Remus felt his stomach plummet.

_The cupboard. They keep him in the cupboard. What would Lily and James…_

"You live on our charity, you ungrateful brat. When I tell you to do the washing up, you do it. Should have left you on the doorstep." He grabbed Harry by the ear and hauled him towards the kitchen.

"I'm sorry Uncle Vernon. I forgot, I'm sorry." He squeaked, eyes watering.

"Not good enough."

Remus followed behind them, panic rising.

_What should he do? _He only came here to scout the place out. He felt weak and helpless as Vernon shoved Harry into the kitchen before seizing him by the hair and hissing into his face.

"You'll do the washing up now. Then you will mop the floor. Then you will dust the front room. If you do it properly you might eat tomorrow."

Spit showered Harry and Remus could feel that fury that had so consumed him earlier that night rise up.

"Y-yes, Uncle Vernon." Harry choked, staring terrified at the floor.

It was the slight tremor in Harry's response that made him do it. The one that indicated complete terror; a well restrained sob. Remus was not a man prone to violence. In fact he hated it. It was such an integral part of him that one night every month that the rest of the time he pushed it back, burying any and all aggression under layers of steady composure, but In that moment, as he tried to reconcile the sight of Harry holding back tears, shaking like a leaf, and his memory of a giggling baby in his mother's arms, he couldn't physically restrain himself from slamming his fist into the man's jaw, from punishing the brute that would hurt a child, from getting him away from Harry.

And _Merlin _was it satisfying. That _crack_ as his fist hit home. He could live on that feeling, the satisfaction of delivering vengeance which however insignificant felt like justice done.

But then he began to take note of Harry backing into the corner and Vernon dragging himself to his feet, one hand cupping his jaw, the other grabbing for Harry.

_He was invisible. Vernon thought it was Harry. _

_You fool, Remus._

"It wasn't me. I swear it wasn't me. Please Uncle Vernon, please." Harry begged as his uncle bore down on him.

A gasp from the door drew Remus' attention away. Petunia had come to see the source of the commotion.

"Vernon, what's happening?" She demanded, hand on her heart in shock at the sight of the blossoming bruise on her husband's face.

"He hit me with something. M-magic I tell you. Came out of nowhere. _Little bastard." _He had Harry by the collar now.

"Vernon- Vernon, please put him down." Mrs Dursley stammered to Remus' surprise. "Punish him, but not like this. That old man, D-Dumbledore… you don't know what he'll do. Please."

Mr Dursley spun to look at his wife, piggy eyes full of rage.

"He'll do nothing! We've seen neither hide nor hair of him since we took the brat. I will not stand for this… this _nonsense _in my home. He's a danger to us. His freakishness will get us killed. Think of Dudley. A good hiding's what the boy needs. Mark my words that'll put an end to this." He emphasised his words by shaking Harry hard.

_No._

_"Finite."_

Mrs Dursley shrieked and Mr Dursley let go of Harry in shock, the boy scooting backwards into the corner away from both his Uncle and teacher.

_Poor Harry. _He hadn't wanted to introduce him to magic this way. But what was started was started and Remus was going to do this properly.

He levelled his wand at the huge man, narrowing his eyes.

"You will do no such thing."

Mr Dursley's eyes were fixed firmly on Remus' wand. Remus began to move slowly round the room, putting himself between the Dursleys and Harry.

"Please don't hurt my family." Whimpered Mr Dursley.

Remus' jaw clenched. _How dare he? _He'd threatened to beat his own nephew and he asked Remus not to hurt his family?

"Your family are safe from me Dursley, though clearly not from you. Don't come any nearer."

Vernon took two large steps back, nodding vigourously.

"Harry?" Remus directed over his shoulder, eyes not leaving Mr Dursley's.

"Yes, Mr Lupin?" Remus could hear the fear in his voice. It hurt but he understood.

"I won't hurt you, Harry. I was friends with your parents. I'm taking you away from here, you'll be safe."

Harry, tellingly, didn't respond.

_Remus, what are you doing?_

"Stand over there." He directed the two adults into a corner in the far side of the room with his wand. "Don't move."

He turned around and wrapped a hand around Harry's arm, coaxing him to his feet and beginning to draw him towards the door.

"We're leaving, Harry."

This was not how he'd wanted to do it. A considered explanation would have been ideal followed by an offer of a safe escape. Instead he was dragging a scared little boy away from the only home he knew…

_What was he doing?_

Too late now though, far too late.

A quiet voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Please don't hurt him."

Remus looked towards Petunia with a frown.

It was strange he thought, that she should ask that of him but he supposed it made sense. She despised Harry, yes, but somewhere in her was that bond with her sister that she could never get rid of. She couldn't stop Vernon hurting him, perhaps she couldn't even stop herself, but when it came to a stranger, everything was different.

Remus looked into her eyes and an understanding passed between them.

"I won't."

And with that he hurried towards the door with Harry in tow, struggling against Remus' grip.

"Please let me go, Sir." Harry pleaded.

"I'm sorry Harry, I'm so sorry." He murmured, grip tightening on the little boy's arm. "I can't leave you here."

He pulled him out of the front door and into his arms.

_We need to be away from here. But where?_

Remus wracked his brain for somewhere safe, somewhere they wouldn't think to look.

He seized upon a thought.

_Perfect._

He pulled Harry tight against his chest and with a crack, they were gone.

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><p><strong>AN: Please let me know what you thought. I hope you find Harry's fear of Remus reasonable. I've always found that stories that have Harry running into the arms of someone who's practically a stranger to them slightly unconvincing because I think anyone would be terrified if someone showed up out of the blue and took you away. Stranger danger ya know. Last couple of chapters have been light on Harry's perspective but next chapter should amend that. Thanks for reading. <strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Thanks for the reviews! Always appreciated.**

**25/04/14: There's been some editing of this chapter just to make things a bit smoother.**

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><p><em>Previously: Remus, after getting a job as a teacher at Harry's primary school discovers Harry's misery and abuse at the hands of the Dursley's. With the help of a bottle of vodka, he decides to go to the Dursley's house to find out the true extent of the Dursley's mistreatment of Harry and how best to remove him. He goes in disillusioned but once he sees Vernon threatening Harry with a beating, he hits him and reveals himself. He then grabs a very frightened Harry and disapparates them out of there.<em>

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><p><em>What was Mr Lupin doing?<em>

Harry struggled desperately against the arms that were holding him but they just seemed to get tighter and tighter, crushing his body into Mr Lupin's. He'd seen a car getting compacted once in a big iron box and he felt a lot like that. Like all the air inside was being forced from his body. He wanted to beg Mr Lupin to stop it but he couldn't speak; couldn't move.

Then it was over.

As quickly as it started, the crushing feeling vanished, leaving Harry gasping in Mr Lupin's gentler grip in a very different place to where they were before.

That was not Harry's priority though.

"Get off me!" He cried, struggling out of his teacher's hold and backing quickly across the dusty room.

The teacher raised his hands, palms forwards, in a soothing gesture but before Harry could react he was seized with a sudden and intense nausea.

There was nothing he could do to stop himself from doubling over and emptying the meagre contents of his stomach across the floor.

_What was happening?_

_"_It's okay Harry. It's normal to throw up the first time you travel like that."

"Wh-what are you talking about? Where are we?"

Harry didn't think he'd ever been this scared before. He'd _liked_ Mr Lupin but something really strange was going on and he just wanted to go home. It was the one and only time he'd ever wanted to be back with the Dursley's.

His eyes darted up to the teacher who still stood a good distance away.

"The Shrieking Shack… look Harry, please. None of this will make sense unless you calm down and let me explain."

Harry didn't want Mr Lupin to explain though. He wanted to be away from him.

"Please let me go."

He just wanted to leave. He didn't think kidnappers listened to the people they'd taken though.

Mr Lupin seemed to be listening though. His head was cocked slightly to one side and his brows were furrowed, like he was considering something.

"Okay, Harry."

_Oh._ Harry was taken aback. That had been a lot easier than he thought.

"But we have to have a conversation first. Then you can decide whether you want to leave. If you decide you do, I promise I will take you straight back to your Aunt and Uncle's."

Harry was fairly sure his mind was already made up but it seemed safest to agree.

"Okay."

Mr Lupin looked visibly relieved and gave Harry a small smile as he gestured towards a torn sofa. He used to give Harry that smile when he said hello in the morning, or when he'd done a good bit of work or when he'd come over for a talk. He thought Mr Lupin was his _friend._

"Harry, there are many things we need to talk about and many things I need to explain, but for now I'll focus on two of them. At the Dursley's you saw me appear from nowhere and you've noticed that we disappeared and reappeared somewhere else?"

"Yes." Harry muttered, glancing around. He remembered all too well. He could still taste the vomit in his mouth.

They were in what looked like a living room but not one like the Dursley's. Theirs was clean and neat and ordered but this place was… chaotic. There were chairs broken on the floor, and wallpaper marked with deep, violent gouges. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, like no one had been there for years. Why had he been taken here?

"To put it simply Harry, that was magic."

_Magic?_

"There's no such thing as magic." Harry recited. If he knew one thing for certain it was that. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Dursley were always reminding him of that every time he had a strange dream or something weird happened. Magic was something in books for little kids and Harry wasn't little anymore.

Mr Lupin smiled that smile again.

"Oh, but there is Harry." A sparkle appeared in Mr Lupin's eye as he saw Harry's incredulous face. "Watch."

The teacher stood up, pulling a long, thin wooden stick out of his coat pocket. "This is a wand. It channels your magic so you can control it properly. You can do almost anything once you've learned how to use it."

Harry barely heard a word of what the wand-waving Mr Lupin was saying, instead letting his eyes rove around the room for an escape. The man was clearly man and Harry was becoming increasingly certain he was going to meet his end in the creaking house.

That was until Mr Lupin pointed the stick (for Harry refused to call it a wand) at a broken chair and said clearly, "_Reparo._" And to Harry's utter astonishment the chair's various parts shot back together again.

"Th-that's… How?" Harry stammered, looking at Mr Lupin with a new fear.

"No one really knows, Harry." He responded, putting the stick back in his pocket. "Some people are born with magic and some people aren't. It does often run in families though; my father was a wizard too. Just like yours."

A _wizard_. Harry truly could not believe it. Magic couldn't be real but…

How else could what he'd just seen be explained? That chair had been _broken_.

And his dad could do it? The only thinigs he knew about his dad was that he was drunk and unemployed and apparently now a wizard!?

"My dad could do magic?"

Harry couldn't help but feel slightly proud. Not that he was entirely convinced magic even existed but if it did and his _dad_ could do it… well, it couldn't be that bad.

"Your mum as well. And, I think I might be right in saying, you too."

That was too far. Too far and clearly wrong- he couldn't remember ever waving a stick around or fixing chairs like that.

"I don't think I can, Sir." Harry replied with certainty.

"Think Harry. Have you ever been very angry or scared and something strange has happened?"

Harry thought about it again. He remembered when Aunt Petunia had cut off all his hair except his fringe but it had all grown back. Or when Dudley and Piers had been chasing him in the playground and he'd ended up on the roof.

His Aunt and Uncle had shouted at him then, calling him a freak and not letting him have dinner. They couldn't explain to Harry how it had happened though. How he had grown back his hair, or how he had ended up on the roof.

In fact, Mr Lupin was the only one who'd tried to explain it to him.

_Magic. _It… it made sense.

Mr Lupin could clearly read the look on Harry's face.

"You see, Harry, you _can_ do magic. And that's how I took you tonight. It's important you understand what magic is so I can explain to you the second thing we need to talk about; your parents."

Harry grasped on to the morsel of information Mr Lupin had dropped earlier.

"You said you knew them."

He'd never met anyone who spoke about his parents before.

Mr Lupin picked up the newly repaired chair and sat down in front of Harry, running a tired hand across his lined face.

"Yes, I did. We went to school together. Your mother and father were two of my best friends. They meant the world to me, both of them, and without them… well, I don't know where I'd be. Here, I have a picture for you." He reached into his pocket again and after rummaging for a while produced a slightly crumpled photograph, which he handed to Harry. "The pictures move Harry, it's nothing to worry about."

Harry didn't find himself particularly interested by the magic of the photograph though. Rather it was the look on his parents' faces as they looked at the baby in their arms (_him, _he realised with something near delight) that captivated him. He'd never seen his parents before. His dad looked a lot like him he thought as he traced a finger across their faces and his mum had the kindest smile he'd ever seen. And neither of them could look away from the sleeping baby they were holding.

He didn't realise he was crying until a tear hit the photograph, rippling and distorting the ink.

"They loved you so, so much, Harry." Mr Lupin imparted to the child. "We all did. The whole world was falling apart- we were at war you see. There was a truly evil wizard that we fought; me, your parents and a group of other people. He hurt a lot of people and caused a lot of sadness and sometimes… well, sometimes it was hard to get out of bed in the morning and face that. But then there was you, a cheerful little boy who made it all worth it."

Harry listened to Mr Lupin's words but never took his eyes away from the photograph.

"That was why I took you tonight. I knew from what you told me at school that your family treated you badly but I had no idea of the extent… I owe Lily and James everything and I could not live with myself if I knowingly left you with those people."

Harry looked up at his teacher then, surprised that the man's eyes were shining with tears as he watched Harry. And he realised then that Mr Lupin wasn't scary anymore. He was just Mr Lupin, the kind teacher he could talk to about anything and who would always listen. He realised he was _glad_ he was with him then and not the Dursleys. He'd learned more about himself and his parents in the last five minutes than he had in his entire lifetime.

Mr Lupin sat forward then, his hand fluttering towards Harry then away again, as if reaching to lay a hand on his shoulder then thinking better of it. Folding his hands in his lap he took a deep breath.

"I've said my bit now Harry and I promised you a choice. You can go back to the Dursleys now if you want, I won't be angry and… and I'd understand." Mr Lupin paused then, his thumb picking compulsively at a thread on his trousers. "Or you can stay with me. We won't be living in luxury by any means but I promise I will look after you as best I can. We can talk about your parents as much as you like and I can teach you about magic and, well, anything you want really! And Harry, I will never, ever hurt you, or-or starve you or-"

"Okay."

"What? Really?" Replied Mr Lupin, clearly shocked.

The choice had become clear to Harry as Mr Lupin had spoke. He wanted to live with someone who could tell him about his parents and about this whole new world he was aching to discover. He wanted someone who was kind and funny and wouldn't shout at him or take away his food or threaten to hit him. He didn't want to go back to the Dursley's at all. He wanted to live with Mr Lupin.

"I'll stay with you."

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><p><strong>AN: What did you think? I wanted Harry to be initially scared of Remus and magic but also curious and eager for information about his parents. I hope I got the right balance.<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: An actually important author's note! In response to some very helpful criticism of my last chapter, I went back and edited it so Harry's reaction to magic was a bit more realistic. I'd recommend giving it another look because whilst the changed are dramatic, there is a slightly more coherent flow.  
><strong>**Due to life getting in the way, I haven't got around to responding to reviews for the last chapter but I have read them all and taken them very much on board. Expect a proper response in the next couple of days though. As always, thank you for reading and please do review!**

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><p><em>Previously: Remus, after getting a job as a teacher at Harry's primary school discovers Harry's misery and abuse at the hands of the Dursley's. With the help of a bottle of vodka, he removes Harry using magic. Perfectly reasonably, Harry is pretty terrified at this turn of events so Remus has to explain magic to Harry as well as his relationship with his parents. After a long conversation, Harry is convinced that he would rather live with Remus in the the Shrieking Shack and learn about this new world he's just been introduced to than with the Dursleys.<em>

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><p>Remus smiled as Harry nodded off on the sofa, the photograph of Lily and James clutched tightly to his chest, glasses slipping down his nose. They'd spoken for a while but it had been clear that Harry was dead on his feet, and Remus could scarcely blame him after the day he'd had.<p>

He crouched down, removing Harry's glasses and sweeping the messy black fringe from his forehead to reveal his scar. It was the first time Remus had seen it up close and he was surprised at how clean the wound was, like it had been painstakingly drawn on. What it represented was anything but clean though. He wondered if Harry remembered any of it. He truly hoped not; the boy had been through enough.

With a sigh, Remus removed his coat and draped it over Harry, hopefully staving off some of the cold of the early autumn night.

It was foolish what he'd done. Deeply, deeply stupid, he knew that.

And as he looked at the sleeping boy he wondered for whom he had done it. He liked to think it was for Harry; poor, neglected little Harry, but he didn't think he could say that honestly, that he could look someone in the eye and say he had taken Harry to make Harry's life better. Because, truly, it was for himself. Harry wouldn't be happier with him. Of course he would love the boy and care for him and do all the things the Dursleys didn't, but it was an inescapable fact that he was an impoverished werewolf who was almost certainly wanted by the authorities, muggle and wizard alike. No, he'd done it for himself, to assuage his guilt, to lessen the weight of the eyes he could feel on him at every turn. Lily and James' eyes. He hoped they would forgive him for leaving Harry there that long. He hoped they would forgive him his motives.

And what was he going to do now? He'd run off with the wizarding world's saviour for Merlin's sake, it was hardly going to be overlooked. By his calculations he had at _best_ three hours to secure the shrieking shack before Dumbledore worked out that Harry was firstly gone, secondly had gone with him and thirdly was currently holed up in the Shrieking Shack and there was absolutely no way on earth Remus was going to let Harry back into Dumbledore's hands.

It was odd really. A couple of weeks ago Remus didn't have a bad word to say about his old headmaster but now…. Well, everything had changed. Dumbledore had left Harry with the Dursley's and Remus didn't doubt for a second that he knew _exactly_ what went on in that house. Dumbledore was not cruel and he was not uncaring, that Remus knew with certainty, but he had his own agenda and there would be collateral damage. But Remus would not allow Harry to be that collateral damage. If Dumbledore found Harry he would be back with the Dursleys before Remus could even blink.

So three hours. Three hours to secure the Shrieking Shack.

Which meant he needed a plan and he needed an ally.

Seven years ago he could have reeled off a list of people he could trust to help him hide Harry.

But going through all those old names and faces now…

James, dead; Lily, dead; Peter, dead; Fabian, dead; Gideon, dead; Marlene, dead; Benjy, dead; Caradoc, dead; Dorcas, dead; Frank, mad; Alice, mad; Dumbledore, untrustworthy; McGonagall, too close to Dumbledore; Mad Eye, an auror, and Sirius, traitor.

Harry really was all he had left.

Which made his choice, however unpalatable, easy as he sat down and began penning a letter.

OoOoOoOoOoO

He'd just returned from the headmaster's office when the letter arrived. Dumbledore had been as calm as always, voice steady, manner warm, offering up sweets to a distinctly otherwise occupied audience, but he could see below the surface. There was panic in the headmaster's blue eyes, a storm below the surface.

And no wonder. He'd lost the Potter brat. Stolen away from right under his nose. It would have been funny if he didn't know what could happen if the boy ended up in the wrong hands.

And the wrong hands he was in.

"Tall, brown hair, young. Normal looking I suppose, if a bit… ragged. Can't remember his name. He taught at the school though." Petunia Dursley had sniffed at Dumbledore. It could have been anyone.

Except it wasn't. It was Remus Lupin, the lycanthropic wonder, because really who other than Potter and Black's best friend would be fool enough to do something do incomprehensively stupid.

_Lily's friend too_, a voice reminded him. He ignored it. The man was a menace.

Dumbledore knew it too. He'd watched the realisation in Dumbledore's eyes as he'd worked out who'd taken the Potter boy with something akin to glee. His favourite student, the teacher's _pet_, guilty as Black. Potter would make a good snack come the full moon.

Dumbledore was lost, he could tell. He had no idea where Lupin had gone after Lily and Potter's deaths; the man, though he used that term loosely, had vanished, along, apparently with The Boy Who Lived.

He didn't suppose he would be much help in the search for the two. He didn't know Lupin well, thank Merlin, and so he was hardly like to contact him.

Which was why, when he read the letter, he was, unusually, truly shocked to the core.

_Severus Snape, _

_I, Remus Lupin, hereby invoke your life debt to James Potter, transferred to his son, Harry Potter, on his death. Harry Potter was removed from his relatives care tonight because his health, both mental and physical, was deemed by me to be at risk. Should you assist in ensuring that no more harm comes to Harry Potter, you may consider your life debt paid. _

_Come to the Shrieking Shack alone._

_Tell no one._

_Remus Lupin_

He had collapsed into his seat at that.

His _life debt. _

He wished he could forget that night more than anything. He remembered the blind, blind terror as the mass of howling grey muscle threw itself at him, eyes crazed and teeth flashing, he'd heard shouts but he couldn't move and then there were arms around him dragging him backwards and away. Then there was the burning anger and the _humiliation. _Merlin but the humiliation. He'd wet himself in terror and Potter knew. And what was worse had saved him from the beast that was Lupin. He hated Potter more than Lupin or Black for that. He owed James Potter, the boy who was complicit in his attempted murder, who had witnessed his humiliation who had turned Lily against him, his life.

And now he had to pay that despised debt back to none other than Potter's surely equally repulsive offspring.

And there was nothing he could do. Lupin had invoked the debt and he was magically bound to it.

So he went to the shack alone, as instructed, and told no one, as instructed. The walk up the narrow passage reminded him of the last time he'd gone to visit Lupin in the Shrieking Shack and he had to fight off the urge to be sick.

As he emerged into the Shrieking Shack he almost laughed. It was nearly comically unpleasant The place was falling apart. The furniture was demolished, the walls gouged with claw marks and splashed with blood. Only the idiot werewolf would seek refuge in a place like this.

The idiot werewolf in question looked worse than he'd expected. The years had treated him badly. He couldn't have been more than 26 but already his hair was greying and worry lines had appeared at the corners of his eyes, furthering marring his already scarred face. His clothes were tattered too, covered in moth holes and worn at the shoulders and knees.

He looked ridiculous standing there in the ruined room.

_What on earth was he thinking._

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" He immediately asked the nervous looking werewolf before the man could open his mouth.

"You take the Boy Who Lived, gauche though that title may be, to a miserable, gore-covered little hut which you've apparently used as a scratching post at some point in the past, to what? Raise him? Here? With you, a destitute werewolf with a history of violence?"

Lupin frowned

"A history of-"

"When you nearly tore me apart in case it slipped your mind."

The werewolf straightened, seeming to gain some composure.

"Ah, yes of course." Lupin replied, a small smile playing at his lips. "Although, in case it slipped _your_ mind, I was a fully transformed werewolf at the time, with no control of my actions, where as _you_ were an intelligent young man following the notoriously unreliable and often malicious word of Sirius Black. A violent past perhaps but one that it's hard to blame me entirely for."

Snape schooled his features to prevent the furious snarl he could feel building.

"But yes, Severus, you are otherwise right. I have taken Harry here to raise him. It is the only property I can think of and access which is thoroughly warded and also empty."

"Thoroughly warded perhaps but not protected from the likes of, say, Dumbledore, who will work out where you are within the next hour."

"Absolutely right, Severus." Lupin rocked back on his heels, a grin on his face.

Snape merely raised his eyebrows. What was Lupin playing at?

"And how do you intend to get around this one, Lupin?" He asked, genuinely curious though he would never admit it. once Dumbledore worked out where the boy was, nothing would stop him reaching him. Nothing except…

"I'll get round it because you are going to help us Severus."

_Oh Merlin no, _he thought, squeezing his eyes tight shut.

_Not this._

"You are going to be our secret keeper."

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><p><strong>AN: So, will Snape accept, and if he does where do his loyalties lie? With Dumbledore or with Lily? Constructive criticism very much welcomed!<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Thanks as always for the reviews. Not much else to say really, so I'll keep it short and sweet. Thanks for reading.**

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><p>Previously: <em>Remus, after getting a job as a teacher at Harry's primary school discovers Harry's misery and abuse at the hands of the Dursley's. With the help of a bottle of vodka, he removes Harry using magic. Perfectly reasonably, Harry is pretty terrified at this turn of events so Remus has to explain magic to him as well as his relationship with his parents. After a long conversation, Harry is convinced that he would rather live with Remus in the the Shrieking Shack and learn about this new world he's just been introduced to than with the Dursleys.<em>_ Remus realises that the Shrieking Shack is not a secure location and needs a secret keeper. The only option available to him is Snape so he invokes the life debt Snape owes James, and by extension Harry, in order to force Snape to protect Harry and become secret keeper._

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><p>It was a waiting game now. Snape had sworn his vow as secret keeper and now all they could do was wait. The debt was paid, there was nothing binding Snape to Harry now save his conscience, and Remus put very little stock in that. What had his and Harry's lives come to when their very freedom rested on the hunched shoulders of Severus bloody Snape and whether he chose to tell their position to Dumbledore?<p>

_Merlin, why hadn't he planned this properly?_

There was no point just hanging around for the inevitable though, he supposed. If Dumbledore was going to burst in, demanding an explanation, Remus wanted to prove at least that he was capable of providing a home for Harry.

Some home this was though.

The Shack had not improved since Remus had seen it last. It had always been dark, dusty and in a state of extreme disrepair but the years had been harsher on the house than they had on even Remus. The once floral wallpaper was faded and torn violently from the walls, deep scars shredding the pale pink flowers. The furniture was destoroyed; what was once a table and chairs was now indistinguishable splinters scattered across the uncarpeted floor. The thick layer of undisturbed dust that covered every surface made for an oddly muted display of the intense and indiscriminate violence of Remus' youth.

_What would James think of him bringing his child to a place like this?_

He drew his wand from his pocket, running his thumb over a knot on the otherwise smooth wood as he considered what to do, how to make a home from this hellhole.

A slow spiral and a quick swish and the dust was gone.

_Merlin._

It laid bare what was underneath it and what had been bad became significantly worse as the depth of Remus' carnage and bloodshed was revealed.

"_Scorgio." _ And the dark brown blood that had stained the slowly faded to a shadow.

_A start._

A few wand flicks and muttered charms later and the room was almost presentable. The table and chairs at the very least were mended and the wallpaper had been completely removed, leaving a white wall free from the gauges of his claws.

_Better, certainly better. _

It wasn't really cleaning. It was purging.

It reminded him of being back at school, with the world at his fingertips, using magic not for the necessities of life but as something to have fun with, to experiment with, and if he'd learnt anything from James and Sirius at school it was how to be creative with magic.

For that reason, turning the rickety old house into something habitable was something Remus quite enjoyed. It had been a very, very long time since he'd been able to cast spells with the same reckless abandon he had at school. It was like waking up after a long sleep and having a huge stretch, one of those ones that sends tingles shooting through your muscles to your very core. The magic itself was fairly simple: fixing, cleaning and basic transfiguration, nothing like the stuff he'd enjoyed doing at school, but _Merlin _did it feel good!

The magic wouldn't last, of course. He knew that. Transfiguration didn't. It from its caster's core in order to maintain itself. Small transfigurations could last indefinitely but Remus had practically transfigured an entire house and whilst he was a powerful wizard, it would begin to sap at his energy eventually.

But it would do for now. It would do until he could find a better way of housing Harry.

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><p><em>Achoo.<em>

Harry woke up with a loud sneeze and sat up straight immediately, rubbing his nose then his eyes with the back of his hand.

_Where was he? _

The dust-ingrained sofa he'd been sleeping on was the same but everything else around him was different. It was recognisably the same house but it looked almost… okay. The walls were plain and while there were no pictures or ornaments to speak of, it wasn't the same dust covered, half demolished room he'd been in before.

_Was this magic again?_

With tentative steps Harry got to his feet, keeping the coat he'd been covered with around his shoulders against the chilly air. He hoped Mr Lupin was here. He was uncomfortable with the sudden change to the house and though he was still slightly wary of his teacher, the man was at least something familiar.

He heard footsteps from above and moved towards the stairs, keen not to be alone in this strange building.

The upstairs was similarly without character, all blank walls and bare floorboards. Harry thought it looked like someone had just built it but forgotten to put anything in.

That was until he reached the one open door on the landing, the one the footsteps had come from.

_Wow!_

The room was small but Harry couldn't have been more impressed. In one corner was a solid wooden bed with a big, thick duvet with a dragon on it (_was that fire it was breathing?) _and next to it was a big chest and Harry could only guess what was in there!

His eyes then went to Mr Lupin, standing in the middle of the room on the thick, deep red carpet, wand moving at impossible speeds as he muttered under his breath, focusing intently on the ceiling above him. He followed the teacher's gaze and watched as slowly, the white ceiling darkened into an inky black, seeping from the centre into the corners. Then one by one, like tiny little lights coming on, twinkling stars started appearing in the darkness, flashing prettily. Off to the side a crescent moon began to take shape, casting a soft and gentle light across the room and just as Harry thought he couldn't be more amazed a rocket appeared, whizzing across the starscape_. A rocket!_

"Do you like it, Harry?" A hoarse voice cut in, bringing Harry's awed gaze down from the ceiling to the man who had created it.

"Yes! It's amazing. What… what 's it for?"

Harry couldn't imagine why, never mind how, a room like this could exist.

Mr Lupin smiled kindly at Harry's confusion.

"It's your room Harry. It's for you."

_His room? _It was all too good to be true really. He'd truly never seen a better room. It was _way_ better than Dudley's. Either of Dudley's! He could scarcely believe it.

"_My _room. Really?" Harry asked, hope and disbelief tingeing his voice.

_A room of his own?_

"Of course it's your room Harry. Who else's would it be? I'm a bit old for dragons and rockets, don't you think?" Mr Lupin said with a laugh.

Harry was speechless. He walked further into the room, running his fingers across the smooth wood of the furniture and letting his feet bounce on the carpet.

Mr Lupin watched him exploring the room with a small smile for a while before quietly interrupting him.

"It's very late Harry, and I think it's high time we both got some sleep. It's been a long and exciting day and I'd say it's well past both of our bedtimes."

Harry, as much as he wanted to stay up and explore his new room further, couldn't conceal a yawn at Mr Lupin's words, which the man chuckled at.

"Yeah… I suppose." He said, looking at the floor. A thought suddenly occurred to him.

"I don't have any pyjamas! Or a toothbrush. Or… or anything really."

Mr Lupin hummed in agreement, pulling his wand out of his pocket.

"Well, yes, we did leave in something of a hurry," Mr Lupin acknowledged. "Now, I think a sneaky bit of magic will suffice for now but we'll have to sort out getting you new things in the morning."

Five minutes and a few very exciting wand waves later and a clean-teethed and pyjama clad Harry was lying in bed. The light had been turned off and only the soft glow from the moon above his bed lit the room.

Mr Lupin knelt down and tugged the big, fluffy duvet up to Harry's chin, tucking it in around him.

In the gentle light, Harry could see the man looked slightly worried.

"I'm sorry you don't have any of your things here. We'll get books and some clothes later-"

"You don't need to do that!" Harry interjected, sitting up slightly, keen to reassure Mr Lupin that he didn't have do anymore for him; that he'd already given him more than he'd ever had in his life.

Mr Lupin's worried expression faded to a small smile as he eased Harry back down into the bed, tucking the duvet around him again.

"But I want to Harry," he said "I think it's been a long time since either of us have had anything nice. We've both been spoiled today but I'd say we both needed it, wouldn't you?"

Harry nodded slightly in agreement. If being spoilt meant nice things like this, he thought he might like it.

Happy and content, he mumbled a goodnight to Mr Lupin and snuggled further into his really very comfortable bed, and as he began to drift off, and all of the thousands upon thousands of thoughts that were going through his mind began to slowly disappear, one by one, he couldn't help but wonder how Mr Lupin had been spoiled.

A hand gently brushed his hair off his face and a kiss was deposited on his forehead.

"Night, Harry."

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><p><strong>AN: So, no massive plot progression in this chapter but I think both Harry and Remus take fairly significant steps forward in their relationship. Thanks for reading and I hope you're all still enjoying it.<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Apologies for the horrendously long wait for this chapter. I could bombard you with excuses but I won't, because if I'm honest I've just been being a bit lazy. I wish I could also give you a more substantial (in many ways) chapter, but as it is, I thought it was probably better just to get something out. I won't keep you waiting as long next time though, I promise. I'm going to write up an extra long _'__previously' _section because unless you have unbelievably good memories, I'd imagine you have no idea what's going on. Thanks again for reading and reviewing; it's wonderful to hear what you all think, and any criticism really does make a difference, particularly in the editing process. Hope you all enjoy it.**

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><p><em>Previously on The Teacher: <em>Remus, after getting a job as a teacher at Harry's primary school discovers Harry's misery and abuse at the hands of the Dursley's. With the help of a bottle of vodka, he removes Harry using magic. Perfectly reasonably, Harry is pretty terrified at this turn of events so Remus has to explain magic to him as well as his relationship with his parents. After a long conversation, Harry is convinced that he would rather live with Remus in the the Shrieking Shack and learn about this new world he's just been introduced to than with the Dursleys.<em>_ Remus realises that the Shrieking Shack is not a secure location and needs a secret keeper. The only option available to him is Snape so he invokes the life debt Snape owes James, and by extension Harry, in order to force Snape to protect Harry and become secret keeper. Remus and Harry have their first night in the shack, in which Remus gives the place a bit of a makeover, including Harry's first bedroom. It becomes increasingly clear ___though that Remus is going to have to leave the shack and get the sort of supplies magic can't supply. _

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><p>The next morning found a tense and sleep deprived Remus facing off with an equally tense Snape in the shack's living room, if it could really be called that.<p>

"Absolutely not."

Remus had not entered the discussion with particularly high hopes but he couldn't deny the swoop of disappointment he felt as Severus Snape, in no uncertain terms, told him to bugger off.

"An hour. Not a minute more. Please, Severus-" He pleaded, unwilling to give up so easily.

"I said no, Lupin, and I meant it." Snape responded, black cloak swinging dramatically as he turned, already stalking out of the shack.

He was not prepared to give up there though. Pained though he was to admit it, he _needed _Snape and was not going to let him flounce out of the room with no argument.

"Severus, please! You have to-" He begged, placing a hand on Snape's shoulder to halt his exit.

The man spun so quickly Remus barely had time to register it before he was upon him, managing to loom alarmingly over the lycanthrope despite being a couple of inches shorter.

"_No_." He hissed "I don't _have _to do anything. This is _your_ scheme. It was not me who got blind drunk and took a child from his family. It was not me who brought him to this forsaken hellhole. It was _you_, Lupin, and as such, this is _your _problem_." _

Snape's eyes were flashing with fury, so much so that Remus felt compelled to take a step back, completely unprepared for the visceral anger suddenly directed at him.

Rather deserved anger if Remus was honest with himself. He had after all asked Severus Snape to keep an eye on Harry while he went out to buy the sort of things a home with young child needed. If Remus were to compile a list of potential babysitters for Harry Potter, Severus Snape would rank somewhere in the high billions. Unfortunately there was no other choice, which was something of a testament to the mess Remus had got himself and Harry into. If Snape would not keep an eye on Harry for an hour, Remus was out of options.

"I know. Believe me I know. But it's one hour. I understand you're not obliged to do anything for me or Harry but you are the only person I can ask and this is something that I must do. One hour. Just one hour."

Snape looked incredulous.

"It's not just one hour, Lupin. If it were just one hour I would consider your request."

"What?" asked Remus, genuinely confused. "I'm going to the shops Severus, I really won't be long."

"You misunderstand me. What you've asked for is a precedent. A precedent that I will look after Potter's brat while your away, which at the very least will be once a month, a detail you've apparently forgotten. This I will not do."

Of course Remus had thought about the full moon. It prayed on his mind, never far from the forefront of his thoughts. That didn't mean he had any clue what he was going to do with Harry when that inevitable night rolled in. He couldn't leave Harry on his own, certainly not, but equally he couldn't transform in the shack with him, not if he wanted Harry to survive the night.

Snape's finger jabbed him in the chest.

"_This_ is exactly why you weren't allowed the boy in the first point. You are an unfit guardian at the best of times and I don't think the wizarding world will particularly appreciate you _eating_ their saviour."

Remus slapped his hand away, not in the mood to beg anymore.

"Will you _shut up_?" Remus seethed, listening intently for any signs of Harry being awake and having overheard Snape's brutal words.

Realisation dawned on Snape's face, his jaw tightening in anger.

"_T__he boy doesn't know_?" Snape was livid.

"Of course he doesn't bloody know." Remus exploded, "He's six! He'd be terrified; he's only just learnt magic is real. How do you think he'd react if he found I was..." Remus lowered his voice to a whispered hiss, "_a werewolf_?"

The thought of Harry learning of his condition terrified Remus more than he cared to admit. For some reason, despite all that had happened to Harry because of Remus, the boy looked at him with something approaching trust and affection. He'd become so used to the cold glares and the swiftly dropped eye contact that Harry's wide, though not as innocent as it should be, gaze felt like something truly special. The thought of those big green eyes filling with fear, no longer able to look at him, made him feel physically ill.

Snape's perceptive gaze saw Remus' fears flit across his face and some of the anger fell from his voice though none of the vitriol.

"Lupin... What do you think is going to happen here? You are living alone with the boy. Of course he's going to find out. All of this- everything you've done here, it's not for Potter's well being, it's for your own. You are an impoverished werewolf, with neither the ability nor the means to look after a child. He will not be happy with you. Do him a favour and take him home."

Remus had been studying his feet for most of Snape's speech, in full agreement, but at his final statement his head shot up.

"_No_. He will not go back there."

"Why? How bad can things be that he's better off here in this crumbling relic of a misspent youth with you?"Snape responded, gesturing to their miserable surroundings.

"He was bullied-" Remus began.

"Lots of people are bullied. It doesn't mean anything's done about it."

Snape's black eyes stared straight through him.

Remus remembered a hot summer day by the lake with his friends, James and Sirius hoisting Snape up by his ankles while Peter looked on, the air full of cruel laughter. He sat by a tree staring furiously at a book, desperately pretending not to notice what his friends were up to. Doing nothing about it.

_Coward._

He couldn't just leave it there.

"Let me finished Severus. He was bullied by his entire family. More than bullied in fact. His cousin torments him relentlessly and his uncle... When I got to the house he had Harry by the collar, he was threatening him with a belt. I couldn't leave him. I couldn't walk away from that."

Snape went still.

Remus remembered another day, his first at Hogwarts. He stood nervously on the platform, small and skinny, his father's hand resting proudly on his shoulder. The comforting weight didn't help much though as he pulled his sleeves over his hands, hiding the deep scars that patterned his skin and the bruises that extended up his arms. He was to be the first werewolf at Hogwarts. His parents had been so happy but he couldn't stop the desperate fear that had taken root deep inside him that someone would find out what he was. He knew he couldn't make friends because if he got too close to people they'd _know, _they'd have to _know_. In a way he wished there was someone like him, so he wouldn't always have to hide himself. The whistle had blown loudly then, forcing him from his gnawing worries, and after the bestowment of kisses and hugs from his parents he made his way onto the train, lugging his baggage with him. He glanced into a cabin on his way down the train. An unfriendly looking boy with greasy black hair, as small and skinny as him, was hoisting a bag onto the luggage rack. His sleeves fell to his elbows in the process, revealing arms almost as bruised as Remus' own. The boy saw him looking and balked; Remus hurried on down the train. He wondered whether he'd found another werewolf at Hogwarts.

Snape, no longer a small boy, stared at him, searching for something in his face. After what seemed an eternity he seemed to have found what he was looking for.

"One hour." he said.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks again for reading! <strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: A long chapter (at least by my ****standards) and only a couple of weeks between updates! Truly a turn up for the books. Thanks for reviewing, it's great to get a bit of feedback. Hope you enjoy this one!**

**Update: Sorry, buggered up a couple of edits to this chapter and accidentally deleted so gonna have to re-upload.****  
><strong>

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><p><em>Previously: <em>Remus, after getting a job as a teacher at Harry's primary school discovers Harry's misery and abuse at the hands of the Dursley's. With the help of a bottle of vodka, he removes Harry using magic. After a long conversation, Harry is convinced that he would rather live with Remus in the the Shrieking Shack and learn about this new world he's just been introduced to than live with the Dursleys.<em>_ Remus realises that the Shrieking Shack is not a secure location and needs a secret keeper. The only option available to him is Snape so he invokes the life debt Snape owes James, and by extension Harry, in order to force Snape to protect Harry and become secret keeper. Remus must leave the Shack to pick up food and clothes for him and harry, and has just convinced Snape to keep an eye on Harry for an hour while he's out.__

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><p>As mornings went, it hadn't been Harry's favourite by any measure. It had begun earlier than he would have liked with a hurried wake up call from Mr Lupin, who'd proceeded to rush him downstairs to introduce him to a glaring dark haired man, Professor Snape apparently, who clearly would rather have been anywhere else, before dashing out of the Shack with promises of a swift return.<p>

As the door slammed shut behind him Harry had looked up at Professor Snape, a strange feeling of for boding filling him. The man's eyes were incredibly hostile; black and cold, like a shark, and immediately frightened Harry. He was not someone Harry felt at all comfortable alone with. He felt he should at least introduce himself though, he didn't want the man to think him rude, who knew what he'd do then?

"H-hello. I'm Harry." He gulped.

Professor Snape rolled his eyes.

"Yes, obviously."

The man clearly didn't share Harry's need to be polite. Why was this man even here?

"So... You're friends with Mr Lupin?" Harry asked, eager to clear up his confusion.

The man glared harder if anything, before taking a step towards Harry. Harry took a deep breath and resisted the urge to scuttle back away from the professor.

"Look Potter, I'm here to make sure you don't do anything stupid while your..." he paused to weigh the word in his mouth "_guardian_ goes out. I am not here to play with you, I am not here to entertain and I am not here to talk to you. And no, I am most certainly not friends with Lupin."

The hatred in Professor Snape's voice momentarily stunned Harry. He'd gotten used the kindness with which Mr Lupin spoke over the past couple of days and had briefly forgotten how most people spoke.

"Wh-why are you here then?" Harry stammered out, his quest for answers battling with his fear of the increasingly irritated professor.

"I'm asking myself the same question." Harry thought that would be it for answers so was surprised when the man added "I was friends with your mother. Now go and sit quietly somewhere."

His mother had been friends with _this _man? As Harry surreptitiously watched Professor Snape pace the room, he could scarcely believe it. He hadn't had much time to talk to Mr Lupin about his parents but form what he'd heard, his mother had been a kind and cheerful woman. Harry couldn't imagine his mother being friends with a man like _that._

* * *

><p>Remus was not at all happy about leaving Harry with Snape. If he could've, he would have left him sleeping upstairs and none the wiser to his misanthropic babysitter but that was not really an option. Remus couldn't have imagined Harry's reaction if he'd woken up to not only a stranger but to Severus bloody Snape, the least reassuring presence conceivable. So he'd had to quickly introduce the two and leave an apprehensive Harry in Snape's care, and just hope desperately that Snape didn't let slip anything about his condition or kill Harry. This was going to have to be a very, <em>very<em> quick trip.

He'd apparated straight into London; muggle London of course, they'd be trying to hush up Harry's disappearance in the magical world he assumed (he'd only be gone a couple of days and it would look horrible if the ministry had managed to lose the Boy Who Lived) but even so, better safe than sorry in such a small community. He'd been as quick as he'd promised himself he would be too. He marched into the first supermarket he saw, grabbed a trolley and piled it high with food. Looking at the mountain of food in front of him, Remus could feel himself salivating. He hadn't eaten for over a day and he doubted Harry had either. _Merlin, _what sort of guardian was he? He'd hate to prove Snape right but he really wasn't doing a particularly good job. There was no use dwelling on it, he told himself. Better to keep his head down and make sure he could provide Harry with the things he needed rather than moping in the cheese aisle.

The supermarket had a clothing section too which he was grateful for. He couldn't afford much but the shop was cheap so he was able to grab enough for Harry to tide him over. That was the essentials taken care of he supposed. He wanted to get some pens and paper, books and toys, things to occupy Harry. He intended to stay in his role as Harry's teacher and wanted some basic supplies for that. He checked his watch; he had time.

Looking back on it, what he did after that was really, truly bloody stupid. Monumentally bloody stupid, but absolutely inevitable. As he'd been looking after Harry, putting him to bed, leaving him with Snape, pushing a trolley around a shop, choosing out books and toys, there was something that just wouldn't leave his mind, no matter how hard he tried to dismiss it. His flat. The flat he'd left abandoned which contained all of his earthly possessions. These were admittedly fairly meagre, but they were all he had. There were clothes and books, certainly, but what really tugged at Remus to leave behind were his photo albums and letters. Memories of happier times. And of course Harry would love to see them.

He'd found it surprisingly easy to rationalise to himself. The muggles wouldn't be looking for him. Missing child cases always attracted huge amounts of public interest so the Ministry, in the interests of the continued secrecy of the wizarding world, would not have alerted the muggle authorities and neither would the Dursleys. The wizarding authorities would have checked his flat and moved on, They'd probably place a few wards on the place but Remus had been trained by the best and wouldn't struggle to take them down. It would be easy, he was sure. In and out, then back to the Shack.

Of course that was not quite happened.

It had gone perfectly until he'd left. It was just at the moment were he thought he'd gotten away with it and had his wand out ready to apparate, pockets filled with shrunk shopping and clothes that he heard the shocked voice from behind him.

_"Remus?!"_

Oh, _fuck._

He span around, expecting a fight.

"_Kia?" _

_fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. _Of all the people...

He put on a big smile for the teacher's benefit, quickly shoving his wand in his back pocket. "How nice to see you. Sorry, better be off, running really late-" He said through his fixed smile, backing away quickly._  
><em>

Kia had clearly preempted this manoeuvre.

"Stay exactly where you are." She said with the voice he assumed she generally reserved for unruly seven year olds. It worked just as well on him, freezing him to the spot.

"Where is he Remus?"

She knew. Oh, God, she knew. She was going to call the police and he was going to lose Harry to the Dursleys then spend the rest of his days rotting in an azkaban cell with that traitor Sirius.

"Look, Kia, I really have no idea what you're talking about-" He said desperately, eyes darting around for route out. He'd have to make a break for it. He didn't want to hurt her, her really didn't, but he _had _to get away.

She took a step forward, backing him into a corner.

"Bollocks. You and Harry vanish without a word on the same day, just after I've spoken to you about his neglect at home? That's a coincidence is it?"

"Yes?" He squeaked. He cleared his throat and tried again with more conviction. "Yes."

She paused for a moment, assessing him. "Right, I'm calling the police." She said, apparently reaching a decision and going for her phone.

"No! Kia, fine. I'll explain. Just... just please don't call the police."

Could he explain? Was there a way out of this that didn't result in him revealing the existence of magic, getting arrested or hexing a well meaning young teacher?

"I'm promising nothing, Remus. Something really bloody odd is going on. I was worried when Harry didn't turn up at school the other day so I went to his house. His relatives said he'd gone to stay with some friends and wouldn't be back. Emmerson got all clammed up when I asked him about it. Then you disappear too? I got your address from the school records and here you are, clearly up to your eyeballs in whatever's going on."

She was like a hound dog after a scent. He checked his watch. _Shit, _Snape was going to string him up when he got back to the Shack.

He really, really wanted to be off the street too. He didn't think it would be going too far to imagine that the Ministry or even Dumbledore was keeping an eye on his flat.

"Kia, I'll tell you everything, just please, can we go inside."

She looked completely nonplussed.

"Erm... gonna have to say a polite no to that one, Remus, although 'absolutely fucking not' might be closer to the mark."

Remus sighed. In her position he would almost certainly have said the same thing. After all, he was a shady-looking suspected kidnapper and it was frankly a miracle Kia hadn't called the police yet. He'd just have to be quick.

And he was quick as he gave Kia a rundown of all that had happened in the past few days and broadly over the last ten years, of course avoiding mentioning words like 'werewolf' or 'secret keeper' because that was certainly not the way to go about convincing her of his sanity or ability to look after a young child.

Kia clearly didn't quite know what to do with herself after Remus' offload of information. She shifted her feet anxiously and remus could see she was chewing on the inside of her lip, desperately trying to process what he'd just told her.

"Christ, Remus. _Christ. _If this is true you've- God, you could go to prison for years! For the rest of your life!"

"Yes." He admitted.

_That's not the half of it though, love. _Dementor's kiss, that's what was in store for him if the ministry caught up.

Her eyes widened.

"What the bloody hell are we doing on the street? we need to get inside."

"Yes, well, I did say-"

Ignoring him completely she grabbed him by the sleeve and dragged him bodily back into the block of flats. She paused briefly to give him a pointed look. "I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt here, mate. You try anything funny..." She threatened.

Remus held his hands up in submission. "Nothing funny." He assured her, "Let's just get inside."

* * *

><p>Kia didn't think she'd ever been so nervous in her life. There were moments that had been tense before, you know, like walking out of a shop with a mars bar under your jumper or telling your mum that you'd been excluded from school for walking out of a shop with a mars bar under your jumper, but nothing that quite matched the sickening anxiety she felt when she looked at Remus Lupin. She could feel her hands shaking, adrenaline coursing through her, despite the fact she'd done bugger all other than jogging up the stairs to Remus' flat. This was really, <em>really <em>what she didn't want. She was posed with something of an impossible choice. Cover for Remus, though she had no idea if he was telling the truth or not, and risk almost certain incarceration if she was caught, or smile politely along with what he'd just told her, get out of his flat and call the police. It was fairly clear to her what her decision _should _be.

But the problem was, she actually quite _liked _Remus. He'd seemed to really care for the kids and particularly Harry in their brief period as colleagues. Of course, all teachers care about their kids but it's rare you get ones who give the head teacher a bollocking when they're not satisfied with how a situation's been dealt with. That requires a bit of backbone. Of course, whether he was a good teacher or not was a bit debatable; his lesson plans which she'd had a rifle through when she found them in the staffroom weren't exactly brilliant by any measure, but from what she could glean from his class, he was interesting, engaging and they enjoyed being taught by him. He was inexperienced clearly, but his heart was in the right place.

Or so she'd thought. Then he had suddenly vanished off the face of the earth, along with Harry and now she didn't really know what to think.

She sank down onto Remus' battered old sofa. He'd gone into his bedroom briefly, muttering something about photographs and proof. This would be her opportunity to get away if she wanted one.

She didn't move form the sofa.

"Aha, here we go!" Remus announced, looking rather excited with a handful of photographs which he eagerly thrust into her hands. The first one was of a man and a woman, arms wrapped around each other. It looked like a wedding.

"What am I looking at here, Remus?"

"Harry's parents' wedding day. Look, he's exactly like his father." Remus gestured to the beaming man in the photograph. It was true as well. Kia had never seen Harry so much as grin but the likeness was clear.

She flicked through the other photos. All pictures of Harry's parents, sometimes holding him, occasionally with other friends or family crowded round. It was a glimpse of the life Harry could have had and it was heartbreaking.

The last picture was the one that really got her. It was the only picture of Remus there. He'd clearly been in the wars a bit, pale with scratches on his face, but he looked so unbelievably... untroubled, laying on the floor laughing as he held a giggling Harry above his head. It was hard to reconcile that image with the man who sat next her, still young, certainly, probably around her age, but with lines on his face, grey in his hair and pain in his eyes that shouldn't have been there.

It made her decision for her.

"Is he happy with you, Remus?"

He thought for a moment, brows furrowing slightly.

"Yes. Yes, I think he is."

Kia nodded slowly.

"Okay then. I never saw you here." Remus looked genuinely shocked.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Now let's get out of here before I change my mind."

They left the flat quickly, Remus clearly in something of a rush to get back to Harry. Kia wished she could have seen the boy but Remus had said that wasn't possible at the moment. It was probably sensible, for all of them, but still, she'd have liked to see him happy.

"Remus." She said as they reached the bottom of the stairs, pulling a scrap of paper and a pen out of her bag. "Look, here's my number and address. If you need anything, well... Yeah, just ask."

"Kia... Are you sure? The risk-"

And oddly, she was absolutely sure. She couldn't say why exactly, but she couldn't help but trust Remus Lupin.

"No, I'm sure Remus. Take it. And send my love to Harry."

Remus hesitated, his lips thinning, then nodded quickly, taking the proffered details and stuffing them in his pocket. "Thank you. It... well, it means a lot."

"Yeah, yeah." She laughed, "Now go on, bugger off before you get us both arrested."

Unexpectedly he pulled her in for a quick hug, laying a kiss on her cheek before he pulled back.

"I'm sure I'll see you soon, Kia. Give Dudley a detention for me."

With that he was gone, hurrying round the corner and out of sight, leaving a laughing Kia outside his dilapidated block of flats.

* * *

><p>He was going to kill him. It was going to be incredibly painful and drawn out and form him, that was no idle threat. One hour. that was virtually all the beast had said in their earlier conversation. <em>One hour.<em> He glanced at the clock for the fourth time in ten minutes. _One hour and forty minutes. _How he wished he could just walk away. His hour was up and he shouldn't have been doing it anyway. But every time he thought about getting up and leaving, something stopped him.

Perhaps it was his conscience, though he hoped he'd left that behind long ago in a time he'd much rather forget.

"Is Mr Lupin coming back?"

_Yes_,_ that was rather the question, wasn't it?_

"For both of our sakes, I hope so."

"He's been gone for ages!" the boy whinged. Children had a unique way of stating the bloody obvious, Severus always thought.

"Yes."

The boy thankfully went quiet and looked back down at the table.

Not for long though.

"What if he doesn't come back?"

Snape sighed audibly. Well, if the boy wanted to know, he wouldn't hold back.

"If he doesn't come back, then I will take you to the headmaster of the school I teach at who, I imagine, will return you to your family." Some would call him vindictive. They would be absolutely right.

Potter face seemed to drain of colour.

"Please- please don't." The boy stammered, big green eyes filling with tears. Lily's eyes.

"Well, that's rather up to Lupin isn't it? I won't be looking after you, that much is absolutely certain."

After he said that he felt that old, familiar pang of guilt in him. He held no feeling for the boy, but the sight of Lily's eyes full of tears... Well, that would always effect him. And he knew better than most what it felt like to go home to a family that hated you, and however much he disliked Lupin and Potter, he didn't truly want that for the boy.

That said, it was becoming increasingly clear that Lupin was not an appropriate guardian by any measure. The boy was entirely dependent on him and that was not something Lupin could manage. _Foolish creature_, what did he expect?

It was then that Lupin finally appeared through the door, full of bumbling apologies and excuses, all of which made Snape angrier.

As the werewolf went to apologise properly to Harry and wipe his tears away, Snape made a decision.

He'd had enough of this. Potter could not be cared for properly however hard Lupin tried. He was a fugitive on his own with a young child. It could never work. Every time Lupin left the shack, for shopping or for the moon, the boy was entirely dependent on his return, and Snape could not bare to watch those eyes fill with tears again at the prospect of going back to his relatives. There had to be another way.

He had no choice but tell Dumbledore.

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><p><strong>AN: So, thoughts? What do you think about the reemergence of Kia and Snape's decision to tell Dumbledore? It would be fantastic to hear your views on this one as there's been some new perspectives and important plot points and it would be lovely to get some feedback on those. Thanks so much for reading. Until next time!<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: _I can only apologise for the horribly long gap between chapters. I have no excuse other than terminal __writers block. Hopefully, you won't have to wait this long again but I think you've all learnt not to take my word on that sort of thing. Thank you so much for baring with me and for all your kind words. I'm going to do a super long recap this time because I'm sure you all need a _****_bit of a refresher about what's gone on after that lengthy wait._**

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><p><em>Previously: <em>Remus, after getting a job as a teacher at Harry's primary school discovers Harry's misery and abuse at the hands of the Dursley's. With the help of a bottle of vodka, he removes Harry using magic. After a long conversation, Harry is convinced that he would rather live with Remus in the the Shrieking Shack and learn about this new world he's just been introduced to than live with the Dursleys.<em>_ Remus realises that the Shrieking Shack is not a secure location and needs a secret keeper. The only option available to him is Snape so he invokes the life debt Snape owes James, and by extension Harry, in order to force Snape to protect Harry and become secret keeper. Remus must leave the Shack to pick up food and clothes for him and harry, and has convinced Snape to babysit for an hour which goes much as you'd expect. Remus is gone for than an hour, running into Kia, a fellow teacher at the primary school who had previously expressed concern for Harry's wellbeing with the Dursleys. She threatens to call the police so he reveals all (minus the magic bit). Snape meanwhile tells Harry that if Remus is back much later he'll have to be taken to Dumbledore then back to the Dursleys. Harry is heartbroken at the thought. Snape decides that Remus is not an appropriate guardian for Harry and resolves to reveal their hiding place to Dumbledore. __

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><p>Severus wouldn't have expected it of himself, but as he strode down Hogwarts' grand corridors, he did feel a certain reticence about going to the headmaster. It was clearly the right decision. Clearly. Lupin was unable to care for Potter- he'd acted impulsively, putting the boy at risk with his very presence. Because however poorly his family treated him, he was, at the very least, safe. And that was Severus' priority, his bare minimum, and the promise he'd sworn to the memory of Lily Potter. The boy's happiness, his comfort, was nothing to him.<p>

But that didn't stop the gnawing feeling of discomfort he felt as he approached Dumbledore's office, the familiar sensation of green eyes dogging his every step. He was certain if he span round she would be stood behind him, red hair flickering like fire in the light of the lanterns that adorned the walls, a frown marring her perfection.

_Severus, _she'd say, _Sev, what are you doing?_

That was the only thing she'd really said to him in those last years before she'd died and what she'd say to him now. And he never listened, furious as he was that she was in the hated Gryffindor and had made friends, friends who laughed along as Potter and his group had mercilessly bullied him, and that she'd then deemed him worthy of her pity; that hot humiliation that consumed him when she stood up for him, emasculated him, like he couldn't look after himself. So of course he hadn't listened, had done everything he could to carve out his own path somewhere he was valued, and of course he'd gotten her killed.

It was easy in hindsight to see everything that had happened over the past ten years as inevitable, but it wasn't, Severus knew that. He'd had a choice then and he had one now. And it was no easier to make walking towards the headmaster's office, a respected potioneer and professor than it was back then, standing in oversized Hogwart's robes as Bellatrix Lestrange, beautiful and mad, brought him to The Dark Lord. But just like then he wouldn't hesitate. The boy's safety was far more important than his happiness and only the blood protection of Lily's family could provide that.

He knocked on the door.

* * *

><p><em>What on earth had happened whilst he'd been gone?<em> Thatwas the first thought that ran through Remus' head as Snape swept out of the room wordlessly, all billowing cloak and theatrics, leaving a crying Harry at the table. _Bastard, _was the second.

"Harry, are you okay?" He asked Harry, striding over and crouching down in front of him, "What happened?"

It was school all over again. Snape with his callousness, cruelty and pride, leaving big green eyes brimming with tears. _What happened, Lily? _He'd ask. And the things she'd told him. _He won't talk to me anymore. He's falling in with a bad lot. He won't even look at me. I think he's a death eater. He says he hates me. He called me a mudblood. _And he'd pulled her into his arms and let her cry. He knew why Snape did it, of course he did, and Lily must have known too. A jealous and angry love that did nothing but hurt her. Just as James had done in the beginning too- full of testosterone and arrogance. Of course he'd changed by the end but even so, Remus couldn't count the afternoons spent trying to convince Lily not to kill either of the two. It was odd that the two boys who'd claimed to love her most had done the most to injure her.

And now her child was sat in front of him, crying because of Snape's cruelty too. _Merlin, how it made him fume._

Harry's eyes were fixed firmly on the table in front of him, shaking his head, shoulders stiff. He wiped his tears away quickly with his sleeves.

_This again._

"Did… did Professor Snape say something?" Remus asked, trying to coax an answer out of the reticent boy.

Remus was reminded intensely of Harry's reaction in school when Dudley bullied him. Do nothing, say nothing and hope it would go away, clearly terrified of being in trouble for being upset.

_Bloody Snape_.

A shrug was his only reply.

_Merlin_.

Intellectually he understood Severus' dislike for Harry, and, in fact, children in general, but to leave him like this- upset and clearly terrified?

"What did he say, Harry?" Remus continued, praying that he could undo Snape's callousness, whatever it was. "I know he can be scary but he's all bark and no bite really."

Untrue of course, but Harry didn't have to know that.

Harry looked up at Remus finally, teary eyes assessing him.

"You were gone for ages." He finally said. "And…and he said… he said that if you didn't come back soon he was going to take me to the headmaster and that I'd have to go back to Mr and Mrs Dursley." He rushed out, eyes going straight back to the table.

The muscles in Remus' jaw jumped in anger.

Why in god's name would Snape think it appropriate to tell an abused six year old that he'd have to return to his abusers? There were occasions when Remus didn't entirely resent Sirius for sending Snape under the Whomping Willow.

"Oh, Harry." Remus said, putting a hand under Harry's chin so he'd look him in the eyes. "You're not going back there. You are never going back there."

"But Professor Snape said-"

"Professor Snape… well. Let's just say he didn't like me much and he didn't like your dad much either when we were at school. He isn't…. he isn't a _kind_ man. I'm sorry I left you here with him Harry, but it was all I could do. And I'm sorry I came back late."

"It's alright." Harry said, voice still wobbly, eyes still red.

Remus sighed, crouching down to Harry's level.

"Harry… you know you're allowed to be upset?" He asked. "I imagine it's been a very confusing couple of days for you and I'd hate you to feel as though you can't talk to me about it. Your happiness is my absolute priority Harry. If you're feeling sad, or angry, or you don't understand something, that's absolutely fine. It's absolutely normal. And I will always be here to listen to you and talk to you about these things. I won't be cross."

Harry didn't say anything, still resolutely looking at the table. A shaky nod told Remus he'd been listening though.

He smoothed a hand over Harry's hair and dropped a quick kiss onto the messy mop.

It was the best he was going to get for now.

* * *

><p>"Ah, Severus. Wonderful to see you." The older wizard greeted as Severus entered his office.<p>

He remembered when he'd first come to this office. It was in his fifth year after the… incident with Lupin and the whomping willow. He was terrified then both of the werewolf he'd just faced and his almost certain expulsion as a result of his foolishness and the Marauders' cruelty, but despite that, the office still left him awestruck. There was something about the spinning, whirring, ticking trinkets that adorned every surface that called out to him to and examine them, to find out what they do. It was magical in the truest sense of the word and a feeling that never really left him. But it did nothing to dislodge the regret he could already feel forming.

Dumbledore watched him as these thoughts flew through his head, his clear blue eyes as perceptive as ever.

"I suspect we have rather a lot to discuss, Severus." A chair from in front of the headmaster's desk drew itself back. "Would you take a seat?"

Severus swallowed hard.

"I'd rather stand." He muttered, eager to maintain a semblance of control.

Dumbledore's eyebrows rose imperceptibly.

"However you're comfortable, dear boy."

Severus nodded slightly.

There was a long pause as he tried desperately to gather his thoughts as Dumbledore observed him carefully from behind his golden spectacles.

"I know where Potter and Lupin are."

Dumbledore paused, thinking carefully before speaking.

"I had wondered…" He muttered finally.

_Well yes, you would say that wouldn't you? _Severus admired Albus Dumbledore immensely but there were moments where he couldn't help a certain amount of frustration.

"You knew?" He responded with an arched eyebrow. He thought Lupin's choice of secret keeper was frankly shocking, not something that Dumbledore, a man who was well aware of Lupin and his mutual… distate for each other, would have guessed.

Dumbledore hummed slightly in agreement before rising from his chair. He walked without hurry over to Fawkes' perch, gently stroking the bird's head with a crooked finger. He said nothing for a long while, seemingly occupied with the phoenix.

"Severus-" He eventually said, facing Snape, "We knew Remus had Harry. He was teaching at his school under his own name and vanished just as quickly as Harry did; it wasn't hard to work out, he did nothing to hide it, as well you know. We also know that Remus, and I do in part blame myself for this, has no one. Not since Lily, James and Peter's deaths has Remus made contact with our world. His circle of friends is, well… rather solitary. But he took Harry. His flat is empty so he must be hiding somewhere in the magical world and for that he needs a secret keeper. You loved Lily, Severus, and Remus knew that."

"But you said nothing."

Dumbledore sighed.

"I said nothing." He thought for a moment. "You are a stubborn man Severus. If there is one thing I've learned about you it is that you are a man who needs to reach his own conclusions, and not just follow the word of another. And that is why I said nothing. I believe that Harry is not safe with Remus, for a number of reasons, reasons with which I suspect you now agree. But that was a conclusion you needed to reach on your own. Harry may be happier with Remus but he won't be safer."

Snape nodded curtly.

"You agree then headmaster? Potter must be returned to his relatives."

Dumbledore looked deeply troubled.

"Yes. At all costs. Unfortunately, it's time for Harry to go home."

* * *

><p>Remus and Harry sat opposite each other on the floor in Harry's room, a mound of Lego between them. Remus had always loved playing with the building blocks as a child. He remembered sitting much like Harry was now, cross-legged on the carpet, brows furrowed in concentration as he built world after world for himself. It was different of course. He had lived in a warm and happy home, small, yes, but comfortable. But poor Harry was stuck in what Remus considered to be some of the grimmest possible surroundings; walls on the verge of collapse, rats scurrying around under the floorboards. It could not be further from his childhood (well, apart from the rats but that had been Peter and of course <em>very <em>different). No, he'd been poor and often ill but he'd known love and laughter and comfort. Harry however seemed, well… confused more than anything, fiddling with a couple of the blocks but not really making anything.

"What are we going to make then, Harry?'

Harry chewed his lip slightly.

"Erm… I don't know really. What… what can we make?"

Remus smiled sadly. How was it that a six year old didn't know how to play? He'd noticed it before of course back at the school. The other children would be gathered together in small groups, playing with action figures, or doing puzzles or running around playing a mad, elaborate chasing game which Remus just couldn't get his head round, giggling manically; just being children really. And somewhere off to the side of them would be Harry, sat quietly, doodling absently or reading, but Remus saw the furtive glances he shot their way, filled with curiosity and not an insignificant amount of envy. He certainly had a lot of catching up to do, something Remus would take great joy in helping with.

"We can make anything you want Harry."

Harry's eyes darted around the room, settling on the first thing they found.

"Like a wardrobe?" He asked.

Remus couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

"We can make a wardrobe if that's what you want to do Harry. You don't have to make anything in here though. It could be something outside, or something you read about in a book or even something you just made up. We don't even have to build anything at all. There are plenty of other games to play."

Harry considered Remus' words with the seriousness only a small child could manage. He finally nodded.

"Let's make a dragon."

Remus grinned. Another little victory.

"A dragon it is!"

And it was in that happy moment that Remus heard the unmistakable sound of the door into the shack opening downstairs.

Snape. It had to be Snape didn't it? But why would he come back? Were those the sounds of two footsteps? Questions ran through Remus' panicked mind as he worked hard to maintain a façade of calm in front of Harry and locate his wand.

"Harry," He said in whisper "I need you to stay up here and be very, very quiet. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded up at him, eyes wide with fear.

"Don't come down until I tell you to. I'll be as quick as I can."

As he rose form the carpet he ruffled Harry's hair. Despite his horrible sense of dread he shot Harry what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

The walk down the stairs was a terrifying one. Who had Snape told he was here? He was certain it was two sets of footsteps he heard now. Dumbledore maybe? Or worse, deatheaters.

He approached the bottom of the stairs wand out, adreneline pumping but hand steady. Harry depended on him.

"Ah Remus, a pleasure as always."

_Dumbedore_.

He didn't lower his wand an inch.

"Headmaster." He nodded at the old wizard who smiled cordially. "_Snape." _The dark haired man at least had the grace to look away. "I assume this is about Harry."

No use beating around the bush.

There was a long pause while Dumbledore assessed him, eyes flitting over his still raised wand and determined eyes.

"Yes Remus, I'm afraid so. Perhaps you could lower your wand and we can discuss what's happened?" Dumbeldore's tone was as calm as ever but his eyes were steel, never moving from Remus'. Remus was a good occlumens, trained in fact by Dumbeldore, and his mental barriers were up in a flash.

"I apologise but I won't lower my wand professor. It's uncivil but, as you know, there is a child in the house and I believe you intend to do him harm."

Dumbledore's eyebrows arched, genuinely surprised.

"Do Harry harm? Why on earth would I want to harm him?"

"Because the only reason you could possibly be here is take him back to the Dursleys."

Dumbledore sighed, moving round to the dining table and taking a seat, ignoring the wand following him across the room.

He is worse off here, Lupin." Snape finally said.

"No he isn't."

And Remus truly believed it. He wasn't the best person in the world to look after Harry, of course he wasn't, but he was there and he'd give Harry all he could. Every doubt in his mind had fled when he saw the smile on Harry's face as he decided he wanted to build a dragon, as began to learn how to play and imagine. That was something that he had given him that the Dursleys never could. He would not let it go without a fight.

"Neither of you saw what it was like with his family. Professor, please. They neglected him, they bullied him, Merlin, they _hated_ him. He can't go back. He won't."

"He will, Lupin." Snape interjected. Dumbledore silenced him with a quick look.

"Remus, please. This isn't about your suitability as a guardian." Snape scoffed but Dumbledore continued, measureing his words carefully."It was not so many years ago that we stood united against a great darkness that threatened to sweep away our world-" Dumbeldore looked at Remus sadly "And in many ways did.

"We were losing friends and family and, by the end, our courage and heart- our very selves. The worst of times. That was until the night that Voldemort tried to kill Harry Potter. The most glorious and terrible moment of that war. It took from us our dearest friends but it gave us a conclusion to years of loss. Lily sacrificed herself for her son's life. And that, dear boy, is why Harry must return to his family. Not because you are unable to care for him but because while he is under the same roof as Lily's blood, her sacrifice means Voldemort cannot touch him."

Remus was stunned momentarily. _Blood magic. _There were few things more powerful. But did that matter now?

"He is dead though, surely. Harry does not need that protection now."

"You know as well as I do Remus that we have not seen the last of Voldemort."

Of course he knew. He'd known the moment he'd been told. '_Lily, James and Peter are dead Remus. But Voldemort is too.' _he hadn't believed any of them had died at first. He'd come to heartbroken acceptance eventually but never about Voldemort. He'd never believed him dead, just hiding somewhere.

And now it was just like before. _Where is Harry safest? Who is best to keep that secret? _He glanced at Snape. It seemed he'd answered wrong both then and now.

But the fact remained that Voldemort was not yet returned, not at that moment in time a threat to Harry. His family on the other hand may well be.

"No, we haven't seen the last of him. Of course we haven't the last of him. But he's not back yet, Headmaster. Voldemort ruined Harry's life when he killed Lily and James. He has spent the last years in _misery _with the Dursleys. He is happy here, if nothing else. He can be a _child_ in a way that he'd never be able to with them."

There was silence for a long moment as Dumbledore though over what he'd just said. Until a small voice intruded.

"Mr Lupin?"

Oh _Merlin_, exactly what he needed.

"Harry! I told you stay upstairs!"

Big eyes looked between the three men fearfully.

"Yes, I know, but I heard professor Snape and thought it was okay."

Privately Remus thought Snape's tones being received as anything other than a very forceful warning to stay well away was absurd.

"Well, in the future Harry, I expect you to listen to me when I ask you to do something-" He began before being quickly cut off.

"What _future _Lupin?" Snape's voice demanded as it had wanted to do since he entered the room. "There is no future. Potter is coming with us."

Small fingers suddenly dug into the fabric of his trousers.

"What does he mean? Mr Lupin, what does he mean?"

How he hated this. There was no right choice. But he had promised Harry he would never go back to the Dursleys.

He rested a hand on Harry's head, looking down at him.

"Nothing Harry. You're going nowhere. I made a promise Professor Dumbledore that Harry would not have to go back there and intend to keep it."

"Remus, I'm afraid that isn't an option. You must understand-" The headmaster started, voice calm.

"I made a promise too, Lupin." Snape interrupted again. "I made a promise to myself that I would do all in my power to ensure the safety of Lily Evans' child. You are not what is best for him, being as you are of no blood relation to Lily, destitute and a werewolf. He is coming with us."

"_Severus."_ Warned Dumbledore.

It was too late though.

Harry gasped from beside him, going suddenly very still, little fingers relinquishing their grip on his trousers.

"A- a what?" he asked, taking a couple of hurried steps back, eyes fearful.

Remus could hear his pulse pounding in his ears, anger and desperation beating their rhythm through his head.

"Harry- I…" He reached out a hand to the boy but he stepped out of reach again.

"You're a werewolf?" He stammered.

_Please, Harry, please understand_.

"Yes. Yes, Harry I am, but please, I won't hurt you, You're safe-"

Did he have to find out this way. He could feel Harry slipping away.

"Harry, please come with us." Dumbeldore spoke fixing kind eyes on Harry. "It is truly for the best. You will be safe and protected in a way that your Mr Lupin cannot provide, however he tries. I know you are unhappy with your family but we hope that can be remedied. Please Harry, it is better for everyone that you leave now."

Harry turned desperate tear filled eyes to Remus.

"Please. Harry please stay." He begged, but it was too late. Harry had stepped back within Snape's reach and like that the man snatched the boy up into his arms.

Remus started forwards.

"Get off him!" He shouted, wand out, but before he could curse the bastard into the next year his wand was flying through the air and into Dumbledore's hand.

"_Mr Lupin!_ Please. _Let me go! I don't want to go with you!" _Harry struggled hopelessly in Snape's tight grip but the man was unrelenting.

"Harry!"

Remus charged forward but just as he neared Snape he slammed into something solid and invisible. Dumbledore had made a barrier.

Betrayed eyes went to Dumbledore.

"You'd do this to a child? Drag him away screaming."

Remus threw himself into the wall again to no avail.

"I am sorry Remus. But I want Harry to survive. He may not be happy with his family but I can at the very least guarantee he'll live. We all owe Lily and James that much."

"How dare you!? How dare you bring Lily and James into this. They'd be _sickened_ at what you've done with their son."

But Dumbledore was immovable if not unmoved.

And then it was over as quick as that. Snape carried a begging Harry from the room whilst Remus ineffectually tried to reach him and Dumbledore looked on, face schooled into an emotionless mask.

He turned briefly to look at Remus, some deep and nameless emotion in his eyes, "Truly Remus, I am so sorry."

And with that he was gone and Remus was left alone in the empty room, nothing but Harry's dwindling cries and the scuttling of the rats under the floorboards for company. He'd lost everything again. Exhausted he slumped against the barrier in the middle of the room, put his face in his hands, and wept.

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><p><em><strong>AN: Thank you so much for reading and sticking with me. Please leave a review! It's been a while since I've written for this story and I'd love to get an idea about how this chapter went, particularly as it was so eventful. Thanks again folks. <strong>  
><em>


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Sorry folks, been an unforgivably long time since I've updated but life has got in the way a bit. I hope some of you are still with me, I promise we're nearing the end of the mopey chapters! Please review, I'd love to know what you think!**

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><p><em>Previously: Snape told Dumbledore where Harry was who then promptly removed him from a very upset Remus.<em>

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><p>It was an hour before the sheild Dumbledore put up collapsed, sending Remus sprawling backwards onto the cold wooden floor and jarring him from his trance. He'd moved nowhere since Harry's violent departure, letting the cold of the shack sink into his bones and the unforgiving wooden floor stab at his joints, his rage subsumed by his utter exhaustion.<p>

It was an effort to drag himself to his feet and one he immediately regretted as a calm voice spoke from behind him.

"I think it is time we spoke properly, Remus."

He froze, his back hunched. _Please no more. _

A deep breath.

"I think I've had enough of speaking properly for one day if I'm quite honest Professor." His voiced croaked as he turned to face the headmaster, fighting the frantic messages from his body telling him to run, to attack, to collapse back to the floor, to do anything other than talk this man.

Dumbledore smiled gently. "Yes, I imagine you have Remus, but nevertheless, I think we do need to speak."

_He hated that smile. Merlin, how he hated it. How could he smile at a time like this?_

"I have nothing left to say." Remus kept his eyes down, burning holes in the floor.

"Then perhaps you'll listen?"

"No." He said, anger finally entering his voice, his eyes snapping up to meet Dumbledore's, "I listened to you earlier and you dragged Harry away screaming to the Dursleys. I should have hexed you on the spot but I gave you the benefit of the doubt and you betrayed that. You betrayed Harry and you betrayed the memory of Lily and James. I refuse to listen to anymore of your half baked philosophising when all it ever seems to lead to is Harry's misery. I rather think I won't be accountable for my actions if we speak any more, Headmaster. So no, I will not speak to you again. And Harry will never be happy there." He gritted out.

"No, he won't. He won't be happy there, of course, you're right." Dumbledore said sadly, "But sadly, not for the first time, and I am certain not the last, Harry's happiness cannot come first. It is at present his lot in life. Remus, if ever there were a man to trust to love that boy as Lily and James did it is you, but it's his safety for which ultimately I am responsible, and he is not safe here. I am terribly sorry for that… for both of you."

"But I am not here to speak to you about Harry." The older man continued, Remus' silence apparently speaking loud enough. He wished his silence had been enough to make the man leave entirely. What could Dumbledore _possibly_ have to say to him after all that had already been said?

But he'd take the bait if it got him gone sooner.

"Then what?" He finally replied after a long pause, staggering over to the heavy wooden table and righting a chair that had been knocked down in the struggle earlier.

"Well, you, dear boy."

Remus slumped heavily into the chair. _Anything but this._

"What could you possibly have to say to me now?"

Dumbledore walked over to the table too, copying Remus' actions and picking up another of the hard, uncomfortable chairs, sat down, though Remus was sure he could have conjured something far less Spartan. He considered Remus' defeated form for a while before he spoke.

"I think quite a lot. It has been five years after all. I confess I worried what had become of you."

Well, that was the question really, wasn't it?

"I imagine you saw my flat?"

"I did, yes."

"And what did you think?"

"I thought it... very simple, very bare."

"You have your answer then, Professor."

Dumbledore smiled sadly.

"I think you've sold yourself short then Remus. Bare, perhaps, for the time being, but your life has never been simple."

Remus frowned.

"You don't think so? I think… I think my life has always been rather simple. I think, really, it was only ever going to go one way and wealth and happiness was never it."

"Because you're a werewolf?"

"Because I'm a werewolf, yes."

Dumbledore seemed lost in thought for second.

"Remus can I tell you a story?"

"I think there's very little I could do to stop you, Professor."

"On the contrary, I will leave the moment you ask me to. Something you have yet to do."

That was true. Remus wondered why that was. Exhaustion perhaps, desire for news on Harry maybe, a masochistic streak a mile wide almost certainly… but the fact remained that, whatever the reason, he hadn't asked the Headmaster to go.

"Okay then, fine. Tell me your story."

"It is scarcely_ my_ story, but yes, I will tell it." Dumbledore said, leaning forward slightly in his chair, the light from the bare candles flickering off his glasses.

"It was many years ago now, on a winter's night that stands out in my mind more than most, and believe me, I have seen many nights and _many_ extraordinary things," He began, voice slow and tired. "But that night is always there, somewhere in the back of my mind. It was late and I was working at my desk, a new and somewhat nervous headmaster, when an old friend of mine fire called me, crying, pleading for my help. I went with him immediately, through his house and into his front room where a little boy lay shaking and covered in blood on a sofa, too frightened and hurt to even speak. There was nothing I could do but heal his wounds as best I could. I was there for hours and eventually the boy's parents fell asleep. I stayed on, watching over the boy as the night began to turn to morning and the boy finally woke up. He was scared, he knew what had happened to him but didn't fully understand I don't think. So it fell to me to explain it to him.

"I told him the truth. I told him that things were going to be harder for him than other people, that he'd have more responsibilities and that life would be less kind but that he owed it to himself not to let that stop him. I'm not sure he really understood me, he was very young and very sick after all, but he nodded so I smiled and sat with him until he slept.

"Five years later I was back at the house, the boy was ten now and he wanted to go to Hogwarts. There were many, many reasons why that might have been unwise but he wanted to go and so we made it happen. I hoped he'd remembered those words I'd told him all those years ago.

"Of course, you know that story Remus; it is yours. I watched you grow from a terrified little boy into someone who wouldn't let misfortune stop him from living a life. Someone I was, and am, incredibly proud to know. It saddens me beyond words that life, yet again, was so cruel to you by taking away your friends, but please don't give up. You have always forged your own path Remus, against every expectation, but I can see that terrified boy in you today more than ever before, so I encourage you to think hard about what I said to you the night we first met."

There was another long moment of silence. Remus didn't know what to say, not even what to think.

Dumbledore filled the silence.

"You've got a lot to think about so I'll leave you. Your flat is still yours if you want it, though for obvious reasons you can't go back to teach at St Grogory's. It would be good to hear from you again dear boy, and if you are ever looking for work I have a good friend who is in need of a research assistant. I do understand if you want to continue to keep a distance between yourself and the magical world though, and if that is the way of it, I can only wish you all the luck in the world and assure you once again of my absolute faith in you to overcome."

With that the headmaster rose from the chair and left the room with one final glance back at Remus, sitting almost exactly as he found him. Exhausted, miserable and worried. But perhaps sitting a little straighter.

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><p>"This is your room then, boy. Can't say we don't look after you now can you?" Exalted Uncle Vernon as he showed Harry inside.<p>

It felt like months since Harry had been there last so it was strange to think it was only days; such a huge amount had changed. How was he supposed to go back to being normal when he knew magic existed? How was he meant to put up with the Dursleys when he knew there was something far far better waiting for him (where exactly he didn't know but that was something to worry about later)?

And now Mr Dursley was showing Harry to his new room, an action so strange it almost rivalled what had happened over the last week.

A pudgy hand on Harry's collar jerked him back from the door.

"This is isn't fair!" Dudley cried loudly, tugging Harry further away.

Things hadn't changed too much then, Harry thought with a roll of his eyes_._

"Where are my things going to go now? Harry's got his room under the stairs, why does he get my other room?"

"Be _quiet_ Dudley!" Aunt Petunia hissed, slapping away Dudley's hand and looking around alarmed as though Professor Dumbeldore was still there. As it happened the old man had left twenty minutes before, leaving Harry with an aunt and uncle who were almost tripping over their feet to accommodate him. He wondered what Professor Dumbledore had said to them. Something that scared them certainly if they were so eager to give him Dudley's spare room.

"Thank you." Harry mumbled, walking inside. It was better than the cupboard under the stairs but it was nothing like the room Mr Lupin had made for him. There were no stars on the ceiling, or dragons on the duvet or toys in a chest at the end of his bed. And most importantly, there was no Mr Lupin.

Harry wondered what Mr Lupin was doing. The last he'd seen him he'd been throwing himself at the wall that Dumbledore had put up. Harry had been scared, partly because Mr Lupin was a werewolf and was very angry but mostly because he didn't want to go back to the Dursleys, particularly back to Mr Dursley who would probably find some excuse to kill him. No, he didn't want to go back one bit.

But Professor Dumbledore had said he couldn't stay there. A deep scowl crossed his face.

"Chin up lad, eh!" said Mr Dursley, with forced jollity, jarring Harry out of his thoughts. "School tomorrow! Bet you're looking forward to that, aren't you?"

Harry looked at Mr Dursley like he'd grown an extra head. What on earth was going on?

"Erm… no. Not really."

"Ah well, never mind, never mind. No sensible young man ever liked school. And sensible you are! Yes… Yes." He paused, rictus grin on his sweaty face, not quite sure what to say. "Right-ho then, I will leave you to get some sleep Harry. Good night!"

"… G'night?" replied Harry, entirely bemused.

Mr Dursley shuffled out, smiling all the way before shutting the door sharply and trundling quickly down the stairs, leaving Harry to collapse backwards onto the bed.

It didn't matter that the Dursley's were leaving him alone. It didn't matter that he had his own room. All that mattered was that he was not back in the shack with Mr Lupin. How would he learn about magic now, or about his parents? It had been wonderful those couple of days in the shack. Very strange indeed, but utterly fantastic. But now Mr Lupin was gone, probably badly hurt, and Harry was all alone again.

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><p>It had taken Remus a day to get back to his flat. There had been a huge amount to do, and none of it easy. Packing away Harry's brand new things had been a particularly unpleasant task, only serving to remind him of the little boy's absence. He'd only had Harry under his care for a short while but the weight of his absence was crushing. It had to be done though. The shack had to be cleared out and Remus had get back to his life.<p>

Dumbledore was absolutely right in one sense; Remus' life, to all intents and purposes, had ended with Lily, James and Peter's that night six year ago. He'd moved blankly between jobs, between flats, between people, never really committing himself to any of them, never really moving on. If his old friends could see him now they'd be utterly appalled at what had (and hadn't) become of him. But it was time for his life to begin again, and as agonising as it had been to clear the shack of Harry's things, it had to be done, because today was going to be a new day, and what this new day needed was a new plan.

So he made one.

Step one: Go back to the flat.

Simple enough.

Step two: Get a job.

Not quite as easy but if Dumbledore's contact came through with the research job, Remus thought that would do.

Step three: See his old friends.

A lot more complicated, firstly because most of them were dead, and secondly because Remus had rather promptly severed contact with the ones that were alive after Voldemort had fallen. He had genuinely missed all of those old faces from the Order but the thought of seeing them, of bringing back memories best left alone, had kept him well away. It was time for that to change though.

Dumbledore _would_ be proud, he though with a wry smile.

Which brought him on to step four: Get Harry back.

Almost impossible but that wasn't going to stop him for second. As far as Dumbledore was right about Remus letting his life stagnate, he was absolutely wrong about where Harry was going to safest because if he, drunk and furious, managed to take Harry from the Dursley's home, he shuddered to think how vulnerable Harry was to someone in a state of sobriety with some earthly idea of what they were doing. So Harry had to be back with him.

But as the saying went, things were significantly easier said then done. He'd left the Shack buoyed by Dumbledore's words, the motivational wind beneath his tattered sails, but once he'd reached the flat, the gale had passed, and defeated, he slumped, list crumpled in his fist. His head fell back against the cushions of his sofa.

Merlin, he was so tired. Tired of Snape and his bitterness, Dumbledore and his good intentions, but most of all with himself and his inability to get it right for once. It may well have been a new day but it was still the old Remus and what could he honestly do about any of this.

He left his head resting against the scratchy cushions of his sofa and closed his eyes.

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><p><strong>AN: So we leave poor old Remus in a state of crushing misery (again) and Harry not much better off. The end of the angst is in sight though, you'll be pleased to hear and the next chapter is already partly written so hopefully no more three month gaps in updates! Please do leave a few words, I'd love to get an idea of how you're all finding it and whether anyone's still with me. Thanks again!<strong>


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